


Love Games

by Hetsez



Category: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (Video Games)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Awkwardness, Bandit reads fanfictions, Blow Job, Bottom Jäger, Cards Against Humanity, Character Development, Claustrophobia, Drama, Eager Jäger, Eventual Sex, F/M, FBI SWAT, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, GIGN, GSG9, Hand Job, Hereford Base, Homophobia, Humour, I dislike Pulse, I said I don't like Pulse but I don't really like the whole of FBI SWAT for that matter, I'm Sorry, Inappropriate Touches, Jealousy, Jäger gets hurt, Jäger somehow always gets hurt in my fics, Jäger's elite set, M/M, Main pairing - Freeform, More tags to be added, Oral Sex, Probably some OOCness, Randomness, Rating is because of later chapters, SAS, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Spetsnaz, Swearing, Team Building, Teasing, Tension, Top Fuze, admiration for Fuze’s dick, admiration for Jäger's ass, admiration for Kapkan's skills, admiration for a wet Fuze, all these things not necessarily in that order, bullshit, established relationships - Freeform, half the base is gay lol, lot of dialogue, lot of feels, mission, not so much action, prepare for the action and suspense, shit gets serious in the last two chapters btw, side pairings, slight cheating, sorry Pulse mains, surprise extra chapter!, team as a family, various povs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-31
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-03-11 22:27:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 84,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13533816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hetsez/pseuds/Hetsez
Summary: What do a bunch of bored people do when the two most unlikely guys seem to have fallen in love with each other? Right, they help them find out about their feelings. But what's better, a direct approach or should the others be more subtle? And are these two guys even in love? Who knows. It's all just good fun. Are you in the game?UPDATE 05/04/2018 now with art by the amazing Betti (chapter 9)! <3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back with a new long fic! You can see it as a sequel to both Hunters and Bad News (my previous long(ish) fics) but it's not necessary to read them to understand this one. I just sometimes refer to something that happened earlier. This fic will provide an insight into the daily life of our beloved operators. I want to thank my friends Katargo and Betty2007 for their help on this fic <3 Hope you all enjoy! c: 
> 
> Disclaimer: I advise you all to not take this fic seriously. It's just an attempt at humour and not intended to be serious! c:

**_It has been several months now since Team Rainbow had been re-activated. To be more precise, the new unit is codenamed “Six” and its goal is to combat a terrorist organisation called “White Mask”. Made up of elite operators from all over the world, Six is to counter terrorism much more effectively than has been happening thus far. For now, the only countries that have nominated members of their special forces are the US, the UK, Russia, Germany and France. Supervised by NATO, four members of every team, respectively the FBI SWAT for the US, SAS for the UK, Spetsnaz for Russia, GSG9 for Germany and GIGN for France, have been selected to join RAINBOW Six. Led by executive Six, the headquarters of the team are in Hereford, England. From this central place the operators can be deployed easily all around the world. RAINBOW Six has many members, but at the HQ only the operators found their accommodation._ **

**_For the American FBI SWAT, that’s Thermite, Pulse, Ash and Castle. The British SAS is made up of Thatcher, Sledge, Smoke and Mute. The Russian Spetsnaz features Tachanka, Kapkan, Glaz and Fuze. The German GSG9 consists of Blitz, Bandit, Jäger and IQ. The French GIGN includes Montagne, Rook, Doc and Twitch._ **

**_All are codenamed and it is advised that even the operators use their aliases among themselves as well. But as people go, some have become friendly towards each other. It must be understood that even though secrecy and security come in first place for these operators, humans are still social creatures and need a sense of comfort and friendship among fellows. Following this pattern, friendships and even relationships have started to take form at the HQ. When unsupervised, most operators abandon their professionalism and are the same human beings as you and me most of the time. Of course there isn’t a terrorist attack every day, and besides training, what else can a bunch of bored people stuck in one building together do?_**

 

\--  
_Hereford Base, the Workshop, one morning_

"Shuhrat?" 

"Hm?" 

Mute eyed his two fellow operators from his own bench a little distance away from them. 

_Here we go again._

The way Jäger's native German tongue pronounced the Uzbek's real name was bad enough, but the fact that no one apart from the Russians, who actually knew how to pronounce the name, called Fuze by his real first name, was even more cringy to Mute. Even when the other operators tried to be a little more friendly with Fuze and didn't want to use his operator alias, they would still call him "Shuh", or in Thatcher's case, who couldn't be bothered with the right pronunciation at all, simply called the Uzbek operator "Shoe". 

However, Fuze didn't seem to mind Jäger's thick German accent when he rolled Fuze's name off his tongue. Mute observed him. Because, yes, there it was. That little twitch around the corner of his mouth, his lips curling into a nearly invisible smile that went unnoticed by the other man. Mute knew that Fuze never smiled, unless he was working here in the workshop with Jäger and they talked about their devices. That was the only time Fuze actually seemed to enjoy his stay here at Hereford Base. And even then the smile was watery, almost invisible if one didn't know where to look. 

But Mute knew where to look. He had seen them often now, sitting together and being the nerdy tech buddies they were. Sure, other people came to the workshop to upgrade their devices, but none of them spent so much time in there as Fuze and Jäger did. There were three rows of benches, way too much for the number of people that currently stayed at the base. On the walls hung tools and there were drawers full of screws, pegs, you name it. Mute sat on one side of the room, at a good observing distance, while Fuze And Jäger sat on the other side, next to each other, always at the same place. 

It wasn't like Fuze and Jäger saw each other in different places as well. No, in the canteen, during training, they never hung out together. They could occasionally be seen chatting to each other, but never for long. They would always return to their respective forces, GSG9 and Spetsnaz. Yes, to Mute it almost seemed like they went to the workshop purely and alone to hang out together. 

Not once did Jäger actually look into Fuze's face, always concentrated and focused on the work in front of him. Maybe he was shy, who knows. Fuze did look at the German, though, although his neutral expression rarely revealed any emotions. Mute had always figured that the two more quiet operators enjoyed each other's company as they both didn't deem it important to hold lengthy conversations and they could just sit in silence, for hours on end. It was driving Mute mad. He liked to work in silence as well, but there was something about these two that annoyed him. 

"Err, could you take a look at these drawings? I designed them earlier but I think something is missing. The numbers don't add up." Jäger slid a few pieces of paper towards Fuze, who sat working at the bench right next to him. Fuze put his own work down and bent over the plans for an improvement for Jäger's ADS. Jäger bent over the drawings as well, pointing here and there with the pen in his hand and explaining the choices he made. 

And that was what annoyed Mute. They were so awkward together, but they didn't even seem to notice themselves. Both quiet and collected operators, liking their own personal space, didn't seem to have any problem at all bending over these drawings together, heads almost touching. How oblivious were they? Mute almost started to believe Smoke's explanation for their odd behaviour, but decided that simply couldn't be true. What was up with these two? 

Sighing and deciding he had enough of working on his jammers and seeing his two teammates being so awkward, Mute quickly cleared his stuff away and left. 

Fuze and Jäger only noticed Mute's leaving when he slammed the door behind him.

 

\--  
_Hereford Base, SAS sleeping quarters, later that day_

“I give up, those two are impossible.” Mute sighed in annoyance, and slammed the door of the SAS sleeping quarters shut. He marched into the small living room of their quarters and flopped down on one of the old sofas on which Smoke sat. Mute laid on his back, with his head on his boyfriend’s lap, folded his arms and stared up at the ceiling grumpily. 

Smoke chuckled and put his favourite magazine, the British ‘Combat & Survival’, away. He played with Mute’s hair as he looked down at him affectionately. “Those two again?” 

Mute nodded and pouted. “I just don’t understand them.” 

“Back from the workshop already, Mark?” Sledge called over from the tiny bathroom inside their sleeping quarters. The light was on inside and the door open, so Mute could see he was shaving in front of the mirror. Mute cocked his eyebrow at the sight of him. Sledge was so bald, if he shaved even more, he would soon take his skin off. He looked around the room, but his eyes didn’t locate the old man Thatcher. Apparently he was out training again. 

“Yes, those two are driving me crazy!” Mute exasperated. His eyes returned to Smoke's rough face, seeing him smile affectionately at him, his eyes gentle. Mute had talked about this problem with Smoke before, and he knew exactly what he thought about it. Many a time Mute had dragged Smoke along to the workshop, so he could pretend to work on his “toxic babes” while eavesdropping on the awkwardness happening when he wasn’t there. However, Smoke's explanation for the odd behaviour between their Russian and German teammates seemed ridiculous and was out of the question. Mute had not wished to involve any other people in his problem though, but he hadn’t known Sledge had been near enough to hear.

“Who?” Sledge emerged from the bathroom now, curious, shaving knife in one hand and half his face covered in shaving cream. Smoke chuckled at the sight of him, but Mute was in no mood to find it funny. Now he had to explain the problem to Sledge, probably one of the last people in this base to understand it. 

“Jäger and Fuze.” Mute snorted. “They just sit there, Seamus! When I’m alone with Jäger in the workshop, we talk a lot. He’s a great guy. But once Fuze comes in, or if they’re already in there together, they just sit in silence. Jäger will just smile at me, but they are so awkward together! I know Fuze is a strange one, but can’t we just be bloody social in here?!” 

On Sledge’s face it was evident that he did not quite understand what all the fuss was about. Smoke just smiled at the annoyed man on his lap while he continued combing his hair with his fingers. “What’s so awkward about them?” Sledge asked. 

“They only talk about tech shit, you know? They rarely have a normal, friendly conversation. And when they do, it’s so weird. I can't describe it, you have to experience it for yourself. No, what’s worse, they do not even respond when I try to engage them in a conversation. When they are sitting there in the workshop together, it’s as if no one else exists, apparently. It’s just them in their socially awkward bubble. Now what do you make of that, Sledge? Smoke is useless, he just keeps making jokes.” 

Smoke laughed, “Well, what if I’m right? It is well possible that they are-“ 

“Oh please Smoke, not again.” Mute cut him off and sat up, looking angrily at his boyfriend. Then he turned to Sledge, waiting for his opinion. But Sledge just stood there, not being able to completely grasp what his teammates were on about. Then he just shrugged. 

"How about you ask Blitz tonight? He's Jäger's best friend, maybe he knows more?" Sledge offered. 

Mute facepalmed. "Of course, it's pub night! How can I forget? Good idea, Sledge." Mute cheered up. The ops were allowed one night of free time a month, and it had taken them a lot to get it. Six reasoned they had to be on active duty 24/7, available at the Hereford Base, but the team had complained that they needed at least some free time. After a lot of nagging and begging, they were finally allowed one pub night, and they had to be back at midnight while they were still expected to respond to emergencies. The operators had accepted these conditions eagerly with their minds set on one good night out in one of the British pubs in Hereford. And those nights were bliss. Even though they had to be back at midnight, the team made the best of the free time they got and most of them came back either drunk or tipsy. Trying to convince Six they were not pissed and could still be deployed on missions was one of the funniest games they played while in their drunk states of mind. 

Sledge returned to the bathroom, seeming quite happy with himself even though he still did not quite understand the problem. Returning his attention to Smoke, he found his boyfriend shaking his head at him. 

“What?” 

“What do I get if it turns out I'm right tonight?” Smoke grinned. 

“Nothing, because you won’t be.” Mute chuckled, grabbed Smoke's magazine from him and smacked him on the head with it. Smoke laughed and held the smaller man, tickling his weak spots. “No, stop!” Mute giggled, and while trying to take a hold of Smoke's hands, he said: “Your theory is impossible! There’s no way Fuze and Jäger are gay...” 

 

\--  
_Hereford, local pub, that evening_

Hereford counted many pubs, but the operators preferred one in particular. Really most pubs are the same, in the food and drink they offer anyway, but British people choose their pubs on ambiance. Some hold quiz nights, others are great for kids, and yet others are more suitable for men. The one the SIX operators liked was none of those. It was just a friendly pub that offered the best of everything: drink, food and ambiance. It was the one they always went to on their pub nights, some even skipping the dinner the canteen provided to enjoy a real British meal. Not all liked the greasy dishes that are so typical to English cuisine, of course, but several of them had come to love the British Sunday roast, gammon or hunter's chicken. 

There was always music playing in the background, a tv showing a live cricket or football match and people smoking outside. It’s how pubs go. People laughed, talked and ate at their tables, came to the bar to order whatever they desired and had a good time off after work. The building was an old one, Elizabethan style with yellowish walls and dark brown beams. The ceilings were low and the rooms small. One had to bend slightly when passing from one room to the other in order not to hit the beams, but that was exactly what made this pub so lovable and cosy. One really felt like going back in time in these dimly lit rooms with large fireplaces. 

By the time Mute felt tipsy enough to call Blitz over, it was already 11 pm. He was sitting at the bar together with Smoke, Sledge, Bandit, Kapkan, Tachanka, Glaz and Fuze. It was shaped in an U-shape around the bartender so that even though one didn’t sit next to a friend, they could still talk. At the far end of the bar sat Twitch with Rook, but by the looks of them Mute thought they wouldn't even be interested in the question he was about to ask Blitz. The others were busy talking as well, and Mute thought his question might just go unnoticed by the rest of the team. Good. He just had to make sure that Fuze, who sat on his bar stool in silence, staring at the bright screen of the smartphone in his hand and neglecting the shot of vodka in front of him, wouldn't hear him. That'd be awkward. Besides, Fuze would probably 'accidentally' kill him on their next mission if he knew Mute was talking about him behind his back. That man was crazy when it came to his beloved "Matroyoshka", and he had no distinction between friend and foe anymore. 

Really there was no need for everyone to know that he suspected something was wrong with Jäger and Fuze. Mute just wanted to ask Blitz, so this could stay between the two of them. And Smoke. And Sledge maybe. The rest of the team shouldn't know, or awkward situations could occur... Half the team wouldn't even notice anything anyway; Thatcher sat drinking tea with Montagne and Doc, who both drank coffee. Thatcher and Montagne felt too old to get drunk and reasoned they were responsible for the herd, and Doc didn't drink because "alcohol was bad for the brains", as he always lectured the rest of the team. They sat on comfortable sofas, with a small coffee table between them and a fire crackling merrily next to them. Ash and IQ sat a little while away, chatting and laughing like there was no one else in the room. Thermite, Castle and Pulse were playing cards over at their own table, and didn't seem to mind the rest of the team either. They had put the little candle that was romantically placed on every table, aside for more space. There were more villagers in this room, and the noise coming from the doorways without doors from the other areas of the pub would drown out Mute's conversation with Blitz perfectly. 

Blitz sat talking to Jäger at a table a little further in the pub. He came over immediately when Mute called him, his face surprised but friendly. Jäger watched him go and returned his attention to his German beer. The German ops were lucky this pub served some German beer, because they highly disliked British beer, lager and ale. When Blitz joined them, Fuze seemed to snap back to reality, looking up from his phone and glancing around him. Mute observed him interestedly. When he had located Jäger sitting alone in the pub, he gulped down his shot and walked over to him. He took Blitz' seat and started showing Jäger something on his phone. 

"What's up?" Blitz asked cheerfully. He looked from Smoke's wide grin to Mute's serious face, and was not sure what to expect. 

"Blitz, enlighten us..." Mute started, pulling Blitz in between him and Smoke so they could keep their voices down. The two Brits gathered around Blitz, who looked like he was going to be interrogated. "What's the deal with Jäger and Fuze?" Mute went straight to the point. 

"Jäger and Fuze?" Blitz repeated, a little too loudly to Mute's liking. 

"Yes. You're Jäger's best friend. Noticed anything odd lately? Regarding Fuze?" Mute inquired. Blitz looked scared with this questioning. 

"What Mute is trying to say," Smoke's grin grew wider, "is there something going on between those two, as far as you know?" 

"That's not what I mean!" Mute said angrily, louder than he wanted. But Blitz' face was suddenly screwed up in concentration, before it turned to realisation as he started thinking. 

"You mean Jäger could be...?" He addressed Smoke, who nodded, still wearing that fucked up grin. 

"No no! I just wanted to know why they are so awkward together! They don't have to be gay!?" Mute lost it, but he was still being ignored by Blitz who looked like he had just come to the biggest revelation of the century. 

"It is possible..." Blitz started, but he was cut off. 

"Who you calling gay?" Bandit called over, slightly tipsy, from his bar stool to the left of them. Looking at Smoke and Mute who stood leaning into Blitz, his face took on a nasty grin. "Oh, are we gossiping? Fill me in." Bandit leaned over the bar and put his face in his hands while he waited for the gossiping to continue, an eager smile on his face. Tachanka, who sat next to him, looked up as well, not wanting to miss out on the dirty secrets Smoke, Blitz and Mute were discussing.

"No no, there's nothing here for you to..." Mute tried, but it was too late. 

"Gossip? I'm in!" Kapkan called over from their right side, and Glaz turned around on his bar stool as well to see what this was all about. Sledge was the last to realise what was going on and hastily pulled his stool closer as well. All looked expectantly at Mute, Smoke and Blitz. 

"Well, what have you found out?" Sledge asked eagerly. 

While Mute facepalmed, Smoke answered: "Blitz thinks it's possible." 

"What’s possible?" Sledge was an intelligent man, but he never understood gay business. 

"Jäger and Fuze." Blitz answered, slightly uncomfortable at the sudden interest in his best friend's love life. 

"What about them? What's possible?" Sledge repeated as he was still trying to grasp what was going on, since no one clearly told him yet. Meanwhile Kapkan and Bandit simultaneously looked a mixture of shocked and amused. They looked at Blitz, who was definitely not happy with the two pranksters being so excited, Mute, who was still facepalming and murmuring something along the lines of "this is not happening" and Smoke, who smirked as well, though not as evilly as the two, and then they looked at each other. 

"Jäger..."Bandit said. 

"And Fuze." Kapkan finished. Then they giggled and chuckled, ooh-ed and ahh-ed while looking in the direction of the two would-be love birds. Luckily Fuze and Jäger, who now sat bent over Fuze's phone, heads together, watching some video, hadn't noticed anything. Tachanka looked at his two teammates being a little too happy to his liking, but didn't say anything. Kapkan and Bandit grinned, staring from their two teammates over at their own table in the pub to each other for an uncomfortable long amount of time before Glaz finally spoke up: 

"Blitz, are you sure about this? Before these two start doing... stupid things." 

Kapkan suddenly slammed his fist on the bar hard, making everyone jump, and turned to Glaz. "I never do stupid things." Kapkan stated, but Glaz cocked an eyebrow. 

"Yeah, how about a little game?" Bandit rubbed his hands together and smirked at the others around the bar, giving Glaz no chance to whoop Kapkan's arse. 

"You're doing no such thing." Blitz said sternly, pointing a finger at his boyfriend. 

"Oh come on, let's have some fun!" Bandit exclaimed. "We haven't been sent after the White Masks in weeks! I'm bored!" 

"I'm sorry, what's going on?" Sledge really wasn't catching up on the conversation. 

"Who wants to bet?" Tachanka suddenly put in. “Porter, what do you say?” 

“They’ll definitely get together.” Smoke smirked and accepted the bet, to Mute's annoyance. 

“No! No one’s betting on anything! Especially not you.” Mute was getting really cross with Smoke. 

“Who's going to get together?” Twitch called over from her spot at the bar, blushing slightly while Rook had his body pressed on her, his face obvious evidence of the fact that he was annoyed by the silly folks distracting his girl. 

“Fuze and Jäger.” Bandit told her. Mute let out a cry of exasperation. 

“Hold on, I didn’t say they would, I just said it would be possible that Jäger is...” Blitz tried to put in, but was cut off once again by Sledge: 

“Ohh, is that what is happening here?” 

“Yeah, wanna bet?” Tachanka asked him eagerly. Sledge seemed to be thinking it over for a while before he gave his answer. 

“Yes, but I don’t think they'll get together. Surely they’re not...” 

“They are! Chanka, note me and Bandit down as well. Fuze and Jäger will be together.” Kapkan said, receiving a high five from his partner in crime. 

“And if they don't want to, we'll make them.” Bandit laughed, earning a stern glare from Blitz. 

“As much as I adore you guys, you can’t just make the whole base gay.” Twitch laughed at Bandit and Kapkan. 

“Oh yeah? Watch me.” Bandit folded his arms and Kapkan smiled mischievously. Rook didn’t seem to be bothered by their stupid bet at all and looked like all he wanted was Twitch's full attention again. Mute had long given up to keep order and now just sat on his bar stool, his head in his hands, exasperated. 

“Wanna bet? Glaz? Blitz?” Tachanka took his phone out of his pocket and started to type out names. 

Glaz and Blitz exchanged a look before Glaz answered: “I don’t think we want to get mixed up in this shit, thank you very much Chanka.” Blitz nodded in agreement. 

“At least there’s some sensible people out here.” Mute murmured and sighed, but his words were unheard by the rest of the team. 

“Me myself, I don't think they will be together either. Fuze is my boy, he likes the girls.” Tachanka said proudly, and eyed a cute girl elsewhere in the pub. 

“You sure about that?” Smoke teased and gulped down his beer. 

“Yeah, he'll like guys soon if it’s up to us...” Kapkan grinned at Bandit, who smirked back. 

“What a disaster.” Mute despaired. Blitz patted his back sympathetically, and Glaz was a mixture of amused and reluctant. To have the two pranksters of the team set up a plan to get the two most unlikely guys together... Something was bound to go wrong. Before Kapkan and Bandit could start brainstorming though, Fuze returned, and ordered two vodkas. Everybody around the bar suddenly went silent and Fuze was met by an awkward silence, one he didn't expect from the usually rowdy team. However, every time Kapkan and Bandit looked at each other they nearly broke out laughing, covering their mouth with their hand and looking away, tears in their eyes from the hilariousness of the situation. Glaz and Blitz shook their heads at their boyfriends who were behaving like annoying teens. 

While waiting for his drinks, Fuze turned to his Russian teammates. “Are you still up for training tomorrow?” 

Kapkan, trying to hold back his giggles and trying to seem serious, answered: “Ah, no Fuze, sorry. Tachanka is busy tomorrow and Glaz and I have to... We wanted to try a new brand of camouflage face paint. Surely you won’t mind asking someone else to train with you?” Kapkan took a quick glimpse at Bandit, who gave him the thumbs up. 

“Someone else?” Fuze sounded slightly confused. 

“Oh Fuze, I think Jäger wanted to train tomorrow but we're all too busy as well, maybe ask him?” Bandit quickly put in, poorly covering his grin. 

Fuze nodded absent-mindedly, received his vodka and returned to Jäger. Fuze gave him one of the glasses, but whether he actually asked Jäger to train with him or not, they didn’t know. Blitz stayed talking to Mute for a while, mainly discussing how Bandit and Kapkan were bound to mess things up. Smoke amused himself by listening to Kapkan and Bandit's plans. Tachanka sat shaking his head, going on about how Fuze liked girls and would definitely have a good taste – like him – and left the bar a bit later to chat to the cute girl he had been eyeing for a while. Glaz and Sledge sat next to each other, talking casually as everybody else was occupied. Twitch had long before returned her attention to Rook. 

The night was soon coming to an end, and Thatcher rose from his seat and announced it was midnight. Time to go back to the base. Everybody complained – Bandit and Kapkan the loudest, this was their best chance to brood some plans – but all finished up their drinks and started to head for the exit. Thatcher managed to usher everybody out, even though the Russians were not nearly done drinking. They would always shout that they were only warming up, even though they drank much stronger liquor and half of the rest of the team could barely stand on their legs anymore. 

The pub was located at a walking distance of the base, about 15 to 20 minutes, so the team made their way back on foot. Usually they didn't all go out on their pub night, with one or two staying back at the base, but this time everybody had joined. Their motto, “out together, home together”, meant that no-one was left behind and they stuck together. Thatcher took the lead with Montagne, Doc ran back and forth between the operators that were feeling quite sick from drinking, lecturing them on the dangers of alcohol. Bandit and Kapkan made up the rear with Fuze. Jäger was walking in front of them, alone, and Kapkan nudged Fuze in the ribs and nodded at the staggering figure of the German. _Go talk to him._ Fuze cocked an eyebrow at his comrade, but picked up his pace anyway to walk beside Jäger. 

"Hey." 

"Hey." Jäger looked up when Fuze came walking beside him. Fuze's mind was still clear from the effects of alcohol and apart from that he hadn’t drank much anyway, but Jäger was among those who felt sick. He walked slowly and tried not to turn his head too much in fear he would get dizzy and fall. When would he ever learn not to drink several kinds of beverages on one night? He should have just stuck to beer, but when Fuze had sat down beside him he had ordered him a vodka, Jäger had felt it would be rude to refuse the offer and had drank with the Uzbek man while watching videos on his phone. 

"Would you... you know, want to work out together tomorrow?" Fuze put his hands in the pockets of his camouflage trousers, looking down at the pavement as they walked, seeming disinterested in whether Jäger would say yes or no. Jäger jerked his head towards the man beside him, triggering a wave of dizziness and nausea, and he regretted the movement immediately. He turned his head back to face the road in front of them, waiting for the sickness to quiet down before answering. 

Usually Jäger only trained with his own, German teammates, as did most of the others. Only the ones who had made close friends from special forces of other countries worked out together. Even though they were meant to be a team without nationalities, most of them still preferred the company of fellow country mates. Jäger liked the fact that he could speak German while he worked out with his GSG9 mates, but figured it wouldn't be so bad to work out with Fuze for once. "Sure." He managed to bring out, immediately closing his mouth again to stop himself from throwing up. 

"Cool." Fuze responded indifferently, and they kept walking side by side. What they didn't know, was that behind them Kapkan and Bandit had heard every word of their short conversation. They quickly kept some distance from the team in front of them while excitedly making up a plan. This could be their first step! 

The last part of the conversation between the two unfortunate operators went unnoticed by them, though: 

"Are you alright?" Fuze asked Jäger, noticing he didn't quite seem himself. 

Slightly surprised by Fuze's interest, – as Fuze usually didn't care for another human being - Jäger smiled weakly. "Think I drank a little too much." Jäger admitted. Fuze chuckled, a rare sound Jäger heard on very few occasions. But it sounded pleasant, and Jäger found himself laughing foolishly at his own misery as well. 

Once they got back to the Base, they found the Director and a few officers waiting at the entrance to the barracks. Six didn't look very happy, and the team quickly gathered in front of her, ready for her scolding and abuses. 

"You're late." She said simply, addressing Thatcher more than anyone else. She probably saw the rest of the team as dumb sheep on a night out, a flock that Thatcher herded. When the old man started to make excuses – blaming the Russians mostly – Six waved him off. "Never mind. We stayed to inform you about a mission. Tomorrow I need you, Thatcher, and Sledge, Jäger, Kapkan and Fuze at 7 o'clock sharp for briefing. Figure out yourself how you'll get those thick skulls sobered up. Now, bed." 

The team watched the Director get in cars along with some of her officers, and stood watching dumbfounded as the red back lights of the trucks went down towards the officer's sleeping quarters of the Base and disappeared out of view. Spoiled they were, driving around the base in cars even though all buildings were within walking distance. 

"Glad I'm not you." Blitz was the first to speak up, patting Jäger on the back sympathetically. Jäger despaired. How would he be able to function properly tomorrow if he could only just stand on his legs now? Most of the other operators said something along the lines of what Blitz had just said to their teammates who had been chosen for the mission tomorrow, and started to file inside to get to their beds. Fuze just shrugged and entered the building. While everyone was entering the barracks, Bandit grabbed Kapkan by the wrist and spoke softly to him: 

"You'll keep an eye on our love birds, won't you?" 

"Of course." Kapkan smiled at him mischievously and winked. 

Everyone quickly made their way to their respective quarters, crashed into their beds and fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy c:

_Some old mansion, Dartmoor National Park, England, the next day_

The wide, beautiful countryside of Great Britain is littered with cute cottages with colourful gardens and magnificent manors, castles and abbeys with their large grounds. Hills as far as the eye can reach, acres of fields and forests, and they still say England is overbuilt. Sure, compared to a country like Norway, the UK is full. But that doesn’t mean their nature isn’t any less pretty. Dartmoor National Park in the county of Devon is not exactly the best example, but it is beautiful in its own, mysterious way. Dartmoor consists of open moorlands, river valleys and wildlife, like ponies and sheep. The classic Sherlock Holmes story 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' by Sir Doyle is set in this beautiful, yet seemingly remote and eerie area, to give you an idea of the kind of surroundings the team is facing. 

Because Thatcher, Sledge, Kapkan, Fuze and Jäger had something completely different on their minds than admiring the countryside. 

Disregarding the strange beauty of Dartmoor Park, Thatcher led his team through the soggy grounds towards the impressive mansion they were about to storm. Having been dropped off by helicopter a mile away from the objective as to not raise suspicions, the team was complaining about the biting winds that attacked them from every direction, the wet moor ground that was soaking their trousers and even their socks and the general desolate place they had landed in. The mansion stood like a rock that had grown out of the ground in this barren place, cold and hard. It seemed to loom over them like the tall, dark figure of death. 

The skies didn't comfort them either. Clouds rolled by over their heads, carried by the strong winds that were free to sweep however they wanted here. It was magnificent, yet terrifying to watch. The sky was every imaginable colour of dark grey, giving the sun no chance to peek out and warm the team trudging on through the moorland. It was quite dark, even though it was only early in the afternoon. 

There were no other buildings to be seen in the wide surroundings and the road that they had spotted leading to the mansion, was deserted and never once on their journey did they see a car driving to, or from the mansion. There were no trees to give them shelter. All the cover they got from prying eyes, were the hills surrounding the objective. This meant that they had to go from hill to hill to reach it, instead of going in a straight line. There was no chance they could go unseen in this deserted landscape if they simply walked straight up to the building. It was a tiring process that left the men out of breath. In this part of the park, there were no paths... 

It was a shame stately buildings like these got to this state: abandoned and badly maintained, left to the forces of nature. A group of White Masks had taken it as their shelter, a place to lie low for a while. They had been in there for months; but nobody had noticed the disused mansion was broken into and was now being used for ill intentions up until now. 

By now the team had entered the mansion. Sledge had breached a beautiful glass-stained window with his sledge hammer and the team had begun to clear the mansion of enemies. 

“Keep up lad, we haven’t got all day.” Thatcher whispered. Jäger grunted in affirmation. Old as he may be, Thatcher was still fit and moved through the building as if he was 30 years younger than he really was. Jäger struggled to keep up, the throbbing head ache having now returned fully as the effect of the paracetamol he took that morning was wearing off. Never again would he drink so much on a night out; never again would he accept a shot of vodka from Fuze. The heavy helmet on his head wasn’t helping either. Usually Jäger performed well; he just really wasn’t having a good day. 

_“Tango down.”_ Came Sledge’s voice over their ear piece. Sledge, Kapkan and Fuze were clearing the first floor of the building. Thatcher had taken on Jäger to clear the ground floor, because the old man had noticed Jäger's condition wasn’t very good. The rest of the team was moving over the upper floor, firing at will. The plan was to get rid of the enemies as soon as possible, so they could leave this god-forsaken place. Thatcher’s plan to do this “quick and clean” didn’t exactly work, however, and that wasn’t the fault of the White Masks... 

Just as Thatcher and Jäger cleared a room of hostiles who had been drinking and eating at a dirty table, several explosions could be heard upstairs, along with a terrified cry. It sounded like Fuze's cluster charge, but something seemed wrong. Jäger looked at the old man, hating to admit he was rather scared. He couldn't see Thatcher's eyes under the gas mask as he looked up at the ceiling. Not waiting for the team upstairs to contact them, however, Thatcher immediately dashed off in search for the nearest set of stairs. Jäger found himself hobbling after his squad leader, feeling like someone was pounding on his head with a hammer while he did so. 

Thatcher wasn’t one for waiting on orders. Thatcher preferred to act, to do it the more practical way. He had soon found stairs and was going up them three steps at a time. Jäger sighed and followed, taking two steps at a time at max. God, he really wasn’t up for this. Rushing over the first floor and killing off any enemy they found on their path, not heeding the rule to be stealthy anymore, Thatcher led their charge. Jäger helped as well as he could, but his head was killing him. Where were Sledge, Kapkan and Fuze? 

First they found Kapkan. He looked a mixture of shocked and amused, waiting for the squad leader, eager to tell what went wrong. 

“Give me details.” Thatcher barked at the Russian operator, still marching on to inspect the damage. 

“Sir, Fuze used his device. Only – he didn’t actually know if the room he was inserting his grenades into was clear or not... Long story short, Sledge is okay, just shocked.” Kapkan grinned foolishly behind his mask, following the old man into the room to his left. Jäger could see the impact Fuze's grenades had had all the way from where he stood. He didn't dare to follow Thatcher. 

“What?!” Thatcher sounded even angrier now than usual, and Jäger gave Kapkan a look that this couldn’t mean any good. Thatcher marched into the room, finding Sledge clutching at his chest and Fuze standing a little while away from him. 

“What does all this mean, Shoe?!” Thatcher shouted at Fuze, who shrugged. 

“He’s fine, nothing happened. No worries.” Fuze sounded indifferent. 

“You nearly fucking killed him, you idiot.” Kapkan tried to hold in his laugh, finding the situation rather funny. Sledge looked at him appreciatively, not hearing the undertone, while Fuze shrugged again. 

“I didn’t know he was in there.” 

“I find your interest in the well-being of your team rather disturbing, boy.” Thatcher spat. “The Director will hear of this.” He added threateningly before he walked over to Sledge to check if he was alright. Kapkan walked over to Fuze, patted him on the back and joked with him in their own language. Not sure what to do with himself, Jäger decided it was best if he stood guard while his team was distracted. Not that his mind was clear because of that horrible head ache, but he needed something to do. Jäger threw a look at Fuze. He was aware that the Uzbek was a strange one, careless and reckless, but he had never nearly killed one of their own men. In the workshop he was different. When he was alone with Jäger, he was more sensible, gentle even. A complete contrast to how he was on the battlefield. 

“Let's get a move on, you bloody wankers.” Thacher announced and the team focused on the mission again. Apparently Sledge had made it out of the room in time, knowing the sound of Fuze's grenades being inserted only too well. All the damage he had received, were the scare and fear for his life. The team stuck together now: the two Brits went in front, followed by Fuze and Jäger, and the rear was made up by Kapkan, who insisted that he would be last and the rest of the team should stay in front of him. Without the rest of them team knowing, Kapkan had chosen this position as it was the best place to observe the behaviour of his friend and the German. 

But, as he should have expected, nothing happened between them while the team cleared the building. Kapkan wasn’t even sure what he was hoping for to witness, and soon had to admit that Mute was right. They were awkward. Sledge and Thatcher in the front communicated and worked together perfectly, while behind them Fuze and Jäger came, quietly and clumsily following Thatcher’s orders. Kapkan shook his head. This was going to be a hard job. He’d have to plan carefully with Bandit... 

The team moved through corridors, meeting an foreboding silence. All the enemies seemed to have cleared off when Fuze had set off his Matryoshka and the team had been distracted. All they met were pieces of broken furniture, dirt on the walls and the smell of cigarettes and piss. The White Masks weren’t taking care of the state of the once so beautiful building at all – not that they cared. However, the silence didn't last long. Suddenly, enemies came charging at Thatcher's team, hip-firing like madmen. The team halted at once, Thatcher barked orders, and they rushed into the first room they found. Jäger's head pounded after the heavy gunfire his ears had just been exposed to, so he was happy Thatcher made them seek cover in this room. Closing all the doors and barricading them as quickly as they could, they heard their enemies getting closer rapidly. Luckily the mansion's corridors were long and the terrorists had been far away when they had started their attack. 

While Kapkan and Jäger prepared to defend, Sledge sat down for a minute to catch his breath. His hands were still shaky and his heart still pounding in his throat. He had only just escaped Fuze's grenades, running from the room as he heard them being inserted. Still it had been a near-miss, and the fright of it was something he never wanted to experience again. No, Fuze was someone to avoid at all costs. He’d never trust the man again. 

“Now we'll see if your work paid off.” Fuze said to Jäger as he returned from placing his ADS. 

Jäger brightened up and for a second he didn’t feel the head ache anymore. Fuze had worked with him all day yesterday to improve his device. It should be better now than it had ever been before. “We'll see if that slight alteration makes it faster.” Jäger said to him, taking up a defensive position behind an overturned sofa. Fuze kneeled beside him, readying his machine gun. 

“Well, if the calculations are right...” Fuze started, but was cut off by a grumpy Thatcher. 

“Can you two ladies shut up now? They’re coming.” 

Kapkan chuckled from his position, watching his two love birds with great interest. Jäger shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, while Fuze just returned the stare as if to tell Kapkan to fuck off and mind his own business. 

Sledge sat in his own corner, aware of what Kapkan was thinking of while he too watched the two men behind the sofa. If those two would really get together, Sledge thought, it would only be a matter of time before Fuze hurts him in his recklessness. He hoped Kapkan, Bandit and Smoke turned out to be wrong so that Jäger could be spared needless suffering. Fuze was not a man capable of love, while Jäger needed lots of it. It would be a match made in hell if Kapkan and Bandit succeeded, so Sledge deemed it impossible. 

First, silence. Then all at once the doors and improvised barricades were being broken down, and the battle started. 

The battle was tense, but the five operators were professionals at their work, and the chaotic group of terrorists that called themselves 'White Masks' were nothing compared to them. Of course, there were more of them, but the ops were trained to keep a cool head even in the most stressful situations. On these kind of missions, where apart from attacking, defence was necessary too, it was useful Six chose operators that were specialised in attacking and operators that were trained to defend. This combination always led to successful missions. In this case, Thatcher was a technical operator. His EMP grenades made sure the team was able to move through the objective safely. Sledge was a breacher, giving his team access to rooms without having to use the door and maintaining the element of surprise. Fuze had what they called a 'kill skill', and could get rid of more than one enemy at once. On the defenders' side, Kapkan had the same kind of skill. His skill made sure the enemies couldn't charge at them all at once. The explosion on the doors or windows, that killed the first one to enter, caused confusion among the enemy momentarily, halting their push. It also alerted the team where the enemies were coming from. For this hasty defence, Kapkan had put his EDD devices on all doors leading into this room, so that if the terrorists were to break down all barricades and charge inside, the first would be killed immediately. That would give them more time to prepare. Jäger's ADS was an useful asset to the defenders as well, zapping enemies' grenades before they could explode. The team could not afford to leave their hiding place to find cover for the grenade, especially when they were surrounded like this. 

After a few minutes, there was already a nice pile of dead bodies around the room. The team hadn't taken a single hit, covering each other instinctively when someone had to reload. Thatcher's calm but resolute leadership boosted the team's morale and even Jäger felt more awake than he had done all day, taking cover behind the sofa with Fuze when the gun fire was too much for them from that central position in the room, letting their teammates take over from their more tactical positions around the room. Fuze's heavy machine gun was very handy from their position, and he was able to mow down the rushing terrorists with ease before needing several long seconds to reload. Jäger covered him in such moments, a short glance sideways was enough for Jäger to understand he had to return fire alone for a moment while his teammate sought the cover of the overturned sofa they were hiding behind. 

Jäger was aware of Fuze glancing over at him from time to time. However he always did this when they were on a mission together, so the German paid it no mind. When they were facing heavy fire, Fuze and Jäger took cover behind the sofa together and let Thatcher, Sledge and Kapkan do the work from their positions. 

"Alright?" Fuze asked him hastily. He never lost Jäger out of sight if he could help it and always made sure the German could cope with the mission. But the fact that Fuze didn't do this to anyone else - quite the contrary – seemed to go unnoticed by both Jäger and Fuze himself. Jäger simply nodded in answer. 

Finally there seemed to come an end to the rush of terrorists. Apparently after their presence was brutally revealed by Fuze's bombs and Sledge's cries, all enemies had regrouped in another part of the mansion and had decided their best tactic was to attack the trespassers. How wrong they had been. The last rushing enemies were shot down by careless shots from the team's guns, tired and wary now after the long battle. When Thatcher declared the coast was clear, everybody came out of their hiding places, cramped and aching. Everybody's fingers were stiff from holding onto their weapons so tightly, Kapkan had a graze on his cheek from where a bullet had flown past way too close, but apart from that the team was unharmed. 

"So... Are we still going to work out? Tomorrow?" Jäger asked Fuze a little absent-mindedly while he removed his ADS which had done its work well. Fuze was not sure what to say, apparently, and stayed quiet, staring at the German stupidly through his helmet. 

"If the Director lets him stay after nearly killing Sledge, I think you two should do a lot more than work out together to celebrate." Kapkan joked and winked, but the hidden sexual innuendo went unnoticed by the two operators. 

"Like going to the workshop?" Jäger asked, and Kapkan nearly facepalmed at him. The German was so innocent. 

"What are you getting at?" Fuze asked Kapkan, sounding quite angry. Fuze knew Kapkan better than anyone else in the room, but still he didn't understand what his teammate meant half of the time, only that it couldn't be any good. 

"Oi Russian, will you not make Shoe angry? He might blow us all up." Thatcher called over. Sledge's face turned as white as a sheet at the mention of Fuze attempting to blow him up again. Kapkan just sniggered. Fuze's reaction was hard to measure because of the helmet, but they all knew he probably felt indifferent about nearly blowing up his British teammate. With that the team packed up and checked the rest of the mansion. All enemies were dead. Thatcher, Sledge, Kapkan, Fuze and Jäger left the building. Another successful mission. 

 

\-- 

_Hereford Base, that evening_

Upon arriving back at Hereford base that evening, Doc almost marched into the team as they made their way to the office of the Director to report on their successful mission. 

"Have you seen Bandit!" Doc was more shouting than asking questions. He seemed angry, a state he was rarely in, unless... 

"My stock of morphine is dwindling too fast! If I get my hands on that man..." 

Unless Bandit took morphine for his own private use again. The man wasn't an addict, and Jäger knew Blitz watched him carefully, but he was rather reckless. When the team responded negatively, Doc immediately rushed off and continued his search. 

Waving it off, Thatcher continued to lead his team to the Director. They were tired, and all they wanted to do now was shower and sit down for the rest of the evening. But they had to report. After every mission, the whole team was expected to be there while the team leader reported on the course of the mission. Jäger felt like his head would fall off if he wasn't allowed a paracetamol soon, and was already thinking about his bed when Thatcher knocked on the Director's door. They were allowed in, and Six looked up from the documents she was reading. 

"Thatcher." She said, sounding quite tired. Jäger could see the bags under her eyes, count the wrinkles on her face. Six always seemed immune to stress, but this work took its toll even on her. 

Thatcher greeted Six curtly, using no more words than he needed to, and started to report on their mission. Jäger wasn't listening. His eyes were drooping while there seemed to be a hammer pounding on his brains. Cursing himself for not asking Doc for a pain killer when they had walked into him earlier, he spread his legs to stand more stable because he could barely hold himself up anymore. His eyes stayed closed for a second, then two seconds, then three, four, five seconds while he blinked, and Jäger rocked on the balls of his feet. The warmth of the room wasn't helping to keep him awake either. Thatcher's monotone voice sounded through his head, but it was a mere noise. Jäger couldn't distinguish any words. 

He jumped slightly when something large was pressed against his side, but, when finding it was as solid and strong as a wall, he slowly leaned against it without falling over. His eyes were too heavy to open, and the wall was perfect to keep him upright. Giving fuck all about what Six thought of him, seeing him falling asleep, he emerged himself into the dream world and felt the throbbing pain in his head decrease. 

But only for a short moment. 

The rising of voices and the comfortable wall next to him shifting slightly woke Jäger rudely, and he opened his eyes to see what all the fuss was about. Thatcher stood with his hands on his hips, half turned around, glaring at him. Six' eyes were on him as well, and so were Sledge's, who looked like he could kill him, and Kapkan's, who looked highly amused. Jäger looked around, fear in his eyes. Were they angry at him for falling asleep? 

"I did not know Sledge was in the room next to us." The wall next to Jäger spoke in Fuze's voice. Jäger jumped away from the wall when he realised that what he had been leaning against was, in fact, Fuze's broad shoulder. His eyes wide, he looked at the Uzbek man, but he was concentrating on the conversation. Then it all started to come back to Jäger. Thatcher had probably just accused Fuze of nearly killing his teammate Sledge, and they were now debating the facts. 

"I think it is best if the three of you stay in here while we discuss this issue. Basuda, please take Streicher with you and hand him over to his friends at the GSG9 sleeping quarters. I'm afraid he can barely stay awake." Six eyed Jäger, looking slightly annoyed. Fuze, who had taken off his helmet now, looked at the German in amusement and Jäger blushed slightly when he realised he had fallen asleep on Fuze's shoulder. When Kapkan appeared in front of him, his expression mirrored Fuze's. They quickly left the office, but Kapkan wasn't one to let this slide. 

"Embarrassed yourself a little there, didn't you?" He chuckled, starting to walk alongside Jäger to the GSG9 quarters. 

Jäger stuffed his hands in his pockets and decided it was best not to say anything. He was used to being picked on by Bandit, Kapkan was no different. Still, his cheeks were bright red, and Kapkan wouldn't stop teasing. 

"One piece of advice though: next time you try to sleep with Fuze, don't do it in public." Kapkan winked at him and laughed, making Jäger's cheeks even hotter. "Don't worry though, Fuze noticed you almost fell asleep and caught you. I mean, if it was me, he would have just let me fall. Isn't that sweet? And you immediately falling asleep on his shoulder... Too cute." 

"What are you saying?!" Jäger snapped. Kapkan was the same as Bandit: teasing him until he exploded, that's what they loved. 

Kapkan chuckled. "No need to get angry with me, go take out that anger on someone else... Like Fuze." He grinned wickedly and stared at Jäger. 

Jäger was confused. "Why Fuze? I'm not angry with him?" 

This time, Kapkan actually facepalmed. "Honestly. Jäger." 

Deciding he didn't want to be around this weirdo any longer, Jäger thanked Kapkan for walking with him and continued on his own. He heard the Russian shouting something along the lines of wanting to speak to Bandit, but he just shrugged it off. Kapkan was weird, and Jäger just wanted to get to his bed. 

Entering the GSG9 quarters finally, Jäger quickly said hi to everyone and told Bandit Kapkan was looking for him. The eagerness in his face was worrisome, but Jäger just entered his small bedroom while Bandit raced out of the room. He shrugged at IQ and Blitz, who sat in the small living room, but Blitz came over to him. 

"Hey, you alright? How did the mission go?" Blitz asked, his usual friendly smile on his face. 

Jäger shrugged and looked into his bedroom longingly. Blitz had positioned himself in the door opening, so Jäger couldn't close the door. Of course it would be rude to just slam the door in his best friend's face, but Jäger was so exhausted. "Fine, we killed the baddies, even had to defend as they came rushing at us... Oh, and Fuze nearly blew Sledge up... The usual." Jäger yawned. 

"Fuze did what?" Blitz sounded worried, more worried than Jäger thought was needed – nothing happened in the end and Blitz never bothered much with the Russians anyway. Blitz inspected Jäger from head to toe, as if Fuze had maybe blown him up as well. 

"Look Blitz, nothing happened. I'm tired. Cool if we talk tomorrow?" Jäger was already retreating back into his room, but Blitz stayed where he was. 

"Are you still working out with Fuze tomorrow?" Blitz asked like he was Jäger's worried mum. 

"Guess so." Jäger answered. He was so near his bed now and he could almost feel the pillow on his cheek. If only Blitz would leave him alone... He didn't ask Blitz why he wanted to know if he was going to train with Fuze tomorrow. He just wanted to sleep. 

"Oh, alright." Blitz replied. He stood in the door opening for a little while longer, apparently wanting to ask a hundred more questions but also wanting to le this best friend get his well-deserved rest. "Well, good night." Blitz then said, deciding he shouldn't bother Jäger any longer. The latter mumbled something in response, and Blitz closed his door to leave him alone. With his last energy Jäger removed the most uncomfortable clothes before he crashed onto his bed and fell asleep straight away. He didn’t even bother to reach in his locker for the box of paracetamol. 

Blitz shuffled away from the door slowly. The good thing about Hereford Base was that every team member had their own private bedroom, however small it was. There was enough room for a bed, a writing desk and a locker for the few belongings the operators had brought, and that was it. The rooms were adjacent to each other, and were basically in the living room of the special force's quarters. On the other side of the living room was a small bathroom with a shower stall, a toilet stall and a sink. It wasn't much, but it was better than sharing everything with all of the Rainbow Six members. Every special force had their own quarters similar to the GSG9 quarters, and even though the operators were expected to respect the other force's privacy, some team members could be found in quarters they didn't belong to every now and then. Even though friendships between different nationalities were scarce, all operators respected each other and most could get along well. 

That the bedrooms were adjacent to the living room, meant that one had to be quiet when an operator had already gone to bed early in the evening. The walls were paper thin, and Blitz was happy that his room was in between Jäger's and Bandit's, so that whenever he wanted to spend the night with Bandit, he could go to his room so that Jäger wouldn't be able to hear them. IQ was fine too, her room was on the far right; next to Jäger's. The problem of needing to be quiet was solved by the layout of the Hereford Base as well. The barracks provided a communal living room, large enough that all operators could sit together and away from the sleeping quarters. Everybody could usually be found there during evenings, talking, playing games or listening to music. The communal living room was a nice way to get to know the other operators. 

Now Blitz and IQ decided to head there as well. Sometimes the ops preferred the quiet of their own quarters' living rooms, but Jäger needed his rest and so Blitz found himself walking down the corridors with IQ, on their way to the communal living room. 

"Poor Jäger." Blitz said and shook his head. 

"He looked so tired, I bet he will sleep like a rock tonight." IQ smiled at the memory of seeing Jäger stagger inside and basically dragging his feet to his bedroom. 

Blitz laughed and they continued their way. He had decided not to tell IQ about Jäger and Fuze. The less people that knew, the better. When Mute and Smoke had asked him about Jäger last night, Blitz had been baffled. His best friend, Jäger, gay? He knew Jäger liked girls alright, but he had never spoken about guys. But even so – there was something about him that made Blitz doubt that he was completely straight. He wasn't so happy that the man that Jäger could possibly be with was Fuze, the one man that felt more indifferent about other people's lives than Bandit. But Blitz felt even more unhappy about Kapkan and Bandit, who had taken up the mission of getting the two introverted men together. In fact, he didn't like any of them meddling in his best friend's love life, and preferred if Jäger would just find out on his own accord – if he ever did. 

When they arrived in the living room, IQ immediately spotted Ash and hurried over to her. The girls sat together and started chatting. Blitz sighed and looked around the room. Usually he sat with Jäger, but now he had to pick someone else to talk to. At a distance sat Pulse with Castle and Thermite. It looked like the bald man was telling his friends a story; Pulse was talking constantly and Castle and Thermite just sat listening, looking quite bored. On the other side of the room Blitz saw his boyfriend talking to his partner in crime, and he immediately decided he didn't want to hear what they were talking about. Then he saw Smoke, Mute and Sledge sitting on their usual sofa, listening to Sledge who undoubtedly told them about the horrors of having nearly been blown up. Spotting Montagne sitting on his own reading a newspaper in French, Blitz decided he was the best person in the room to talk to. He walked over to the broad Frenchman and sat down. Montagne respectfully put the newspaper down and talked to Blitz about the recent events he had just read about in the newspaper. Blitz enjoyed a good discussion, and knew he had found the right partner in order to do so. 

After a while Fuze walked in, but his dragging footsteps went unheard by Blitz, who was in a heated discussion with Montagne on the legal situation of some African country. Like a bee heading for a flower, Fuze immediately walked over to where his friend Kapkan was sitting. When he and Bandit saw the Uzbek man coming, they grinned. Bandit quickly got up and left, greeting Fuze as he walked past him. 

"So, back to Russia it is?" Kapkan teased as Fuze slumped down on the sofa like a bag of potatoes. He received a grumpy glare from the man next to him. 

"That was so exhausting." Fuze groaned and rubbed his eyes with his hands. Six had talked to him longer than to Sledge and Thatcher, probably teaching him a lesson in the importance of teammates. Kapkan grinned at him, waiting for Fuze to tell he was fired from Rainbow Six. "I'm not fired, if that's what that cheeky grin is waiting for." Fuze snapped at him. 

"You're not?" Kapkan laughed unbelievingly. 

"They couldn't prove I knew the Brit was in the room next to us. Case closed." Fuze shrugged. 

Kapkan whistled. "Nice. Lucky you." 

Fuze just shrugged again and looked at his friend. "Did Jäger fall asleep while you brought him to their quarters?" He joked. 

"Nah. But I told him he should be a bit more discreet if he wanted to sleep with you." Kapkan chuckled. 

"Dude. Not cool." Fuze glared at Kapkan, while the latter just laughed. 

"Seriously though?" Kapkan finally said when he stopped laughing. 

"Seriously what?" Fuze snapped. 

"Sleeping with..." Kapkan wasn't able to finish his sentence when Glaz suddenly joined them. 

"You lucky bastard! How did they not throw your dangerous ass right out?" Glaz laughed, ruffling Fuze's long dark hair. 

"How do you know already?" Fuze asked, trying to swat Glaz' hand away. 

"Do you mind? We're in the middle of something here." Kapkan folded his arms and glared at his boyfriend, but Glaz didn't respond to him. Apparently Glaz didn't realise how important this little talk with Fuze was to him. He had been so close to finding out if Fuze wanted to sleep with Jäger, or so he told himself. 

"Just saw Thatcher. He told me what happened. You're so lucky." Glaz laughed and Fuze started recounting what happened that day. Kapkan groaned as he was simply being ignored. Just wait, he thought to himself. He and Bandit would find out soon enough...


	3. Chapter 3

_Hereford Base, the GSG9 quarters, the next morning._

Jäger had woken up the next day to find his headache was gone and his mind clear again. Sleeping had done him well. He stretched his arms and yawned lazily. His muscles ached, probably because of sitting in that crouched position behind the sofa the day before. He'd have to take it slow when he went to the gym with Fuze later... 

Later? How much later was that? What time was it? A little flow of sunlight made its way into Jäger's room from a gap between the thin, dirty curtains he hadn't closed properly last night. Jäger had a feeling he had slept way too long. When he looked at his alarm clock he was surprised to see it was already 7.30 AM, much later than he usually got up. He hadn’t exactly agreed to meet up at a certain time with Fuze, but he didn’t want to keep the man waiting either. Actually, in Fuze's case, he’d probably leave if Jäger didn’t show up soon. So, rolling himself out of bed Jäger picked up his clothes and got dressed hurriedly. He’d shower after working out; he couldn’t be bothered to do that now. Opening his door and finding the GSG9 quarters empty, Jäger decided to get an energy bar out of his locker in his room instead of meeting his friends for breakfast in the canteen. 

Couldn't keep Fuze waiting. 

Rushing through the barracks, Jäger arrived at the gym to find Fuze leaning against the wall, waiting for him. The Uzbek looked up, took a glance at Jäger’s messy bed hair and put on his friendly face (which wasn’t exactly a smiling one but it wasn't his usual grumpy face either). Jäger walked up to him. 

"How was your talk with Six yesterday night?" The German asked, quickly running his fingers through his blonde hair in order to straighten it somewhat. Seeing Fuze now reminded him of falling asleep on the man's broad shoulder last night, and his cheeks flushed slightly. Best to change subject as soon as possible. Or go on in silence, as he was used to with the Uzbek man. 

"She was angry," Fuze laughed, as if an angry Six wasn't the most terrifying thing in the world, "but they couldn't prove I was guilty of attempted manslaughter." 

"Nor innocent." Jäger smiled at his friend and folded his arms. Fuze laughed again. 

"Well, yeah." He scratched his head nervously. "But for now I'm still on the team." 

Jäger nodded and was happy about that fact; who else would help him in the workshop if Fuze had to leave? The two men then entered the gym, speaking no more of the incident from the day before. 

Most of the members of Rainbow Six were working out in the gym already, apart from the GSG9 and Spetsnaz. Of those Forces, only Jäger and Fuze were present, to their surprise. Their team mates had said they were unavailable to work out the previous day, surely they should be available today? But neither Glaz, Kapkan, Tachanka, nor IQ, Blitz and Bandit were there. Now Jäger met Fuze in a different place than usual, the gym, and it felt slightly weird to him to not workout with his best friend Blitz. But Blitz wasn't there, and the others in the gym simply continued working out as if Fuze and Jäger weren't there. They didn't even look up nor said hi, but once the two had passed them, he could feel eyes on his back from everywhere. They must have heard Fuze had nearly blown up Sledge the day before and gotten away with it. Very few operators were friendly towards the Uzbek man anyway, because they saw him as rather unsocial and eerie, but Fuze had made himself even less likeable by nearly killing Sledge. Even though Jäger walked next to him on their way to the changing rooms, the other operators refused to show them a friendly face. Jäger understood them. Fuze wasn't the most social man and he was rather odd, but he was a mastermind when it came to mechanics and Jäger enjoyed working with the man in the workshop. He wasn't ashamed to walk next to Fuze, but he wondered what the others thought about them. He would never guess what that was. 

Fuze noticed the hostility of the others in the gym as well, but as usual he shrugged it off. He didn't give a fuck about what they thought of him. In the changing rooms he and Jäger shared a look. Jäger looked worried, Fuze probably radiated carelessness. The German looked away again immediately and got changed. Fuze followed his example. They returned to the gym soon after and without any further ado, they started. Indeed, they worked out in silence for an hour, as Fuze liked it, and only sometimes did he have some small talk with the German. As they sparred, he saw Jäger looking around him from time to time, whenever they took a small break. Jäger glimpsed at other operators shyly, and Fuze wondered what it meant. Was he scared of what they thought of him hanging out with 'the creep who almost blew up Sledge'? Because Fuze himself couldn't care less about what others thought. But he found he did care what Jäger thought about him. Or was Jäger looking around for better company? Fuze knew Jäger was best friends with Blitz, and understood he was not the best company for the usually so cheerful guy. Jäger was always so comfortable around his best friend, why was he always so nervous around Fuze? 

Jäger was careful in the hand-to-hand combat. He managed to land quite a few good punches on Fuze, but they were always gentle, not intended to hurt for more than a minute. This was training, and his technique was much more important to him than the force of his movements. Fuze on the other hand, had already given the German quite a few bruises, ones that would be visible for a few days. The Uzbek didn't realise Jäger was being gentle on purpose and thought he was being weak. Fuze had been trained to perform like he would in real life, so even in practise he would fight till death. He snorted when Jäger wanted to stop sparring. He looked at the smaller German, rubbing over his painful bruises rather sourly. Perhaps this was why he felt protective towards Jäger. Perhaps... 

Jäger decided they should do something other than practising combat skills. Anything to not get beaten up again. He wanted to do some endurance training, and Fuze simply followed suit, still pondering on why Jäger was so weak. Jäger now saw the other operators throwing him worried looks. He guessed what they were thinking. Why was Jäger hanging out with a guy who nearly kills a teammate and then beats the shit out of him, even though it's practise? Jäger didn't know the answer either. 

As they both ran on the treadmill, side by side on separate devices, panting, Fuze took a sideway glance at the blonde man next to him. He seemed to be feeling low, keeping his head down and looking rather sad. Two questions arose in Fuze's head: Why did Jäger hang out with him? And what did he think of him? Fuze had noticed his unsocial self had taken a liking to Marius, found he had started to care about his team mate, even though he never gave a shit about anyone he worked with. But why did Jäger hang out with him? 

Jäger turned his head towards him slightly, noticing he was being watched, and Fuze realised he must have been staring. He gave the German a watery smile and quickly looked back in front of him, concentrating on his pace and the rhythm of his breathing. Jäger watched him for a little moment longer, watching his half-long dark hair bounce slightly as he ran, and wondered what Fuze's mind, which always seemed miles away, was thinking about. Jäger returned his attention to his task, but found it hard to concentrate as the work-out music, which usually sounded through the speakers in the gym, stopped abruptly. What was going on? 

What they didn't know, was that Bandit and Kapkan had gained access to the small storage room overlooking the gym, and had stopped the music... 

"What will you play?" Kapkan asked amused, arms folded, watching Bandit struggle with the auxiliary cable that hung from the ancient stereo set. In his other hand was a phone with a purple case. 

"Shhh, just keep watching! Are they still there?" Bandit answered annoyed, plugging the other end of the cable into the phone. Kapkan looked up, annoyed, and peered through the dirty window into the gym. Sure enough, Fuze and Jäger were still on the treadmills, running undisturbed. 

"Yes yes..." Kapkan answered lazily, hearing the cracking over the speakers as Bandit plugged the phone in. "But what will you play? You don't seem like the one to listen to cheesy love songs." 

"You see this ugly thing?" Bandit held the phone up, the cracked screen and a picture of a muscled man on the background made Kapkan cock an eyebrow. "It's IQ's. _She_ listens to cheesy love songs. Now, go to her music library, open the volume completely..." Bandit swiped and tapped away on the phone's screen. 

"Does she know you're using her phone?" 

"Shhh I'm concentrating." 

Kapkan returned his attention to the gym, and within a few seconds the sound of a guitar could be heard blasting over the speakers. He could see everyone present looking up, snapping out of their concentration; Rook, who had been lifting weights with Montagne, got so spooked by the sudden music that he dropped his weights. Montagne must have jumped a metre into the air, avoiding the heavy weights as they came crashing down dangerously close to his feet. Thermite and Castle, who had been wrestling, stopped what they were doing as well and looked around, clearly confused. Everybody else stopped what they were doing as well. Everybody, apart from Fuze and Jäger, who kept running and only looked up at the speakers on the wall. 

It took a moment before Kapkan recognised the song, but when he did, he muttered a whispered 'oh my God...' 

_Let me be your hero..._ Came a whispered voice over the speakers, and if Kapkan hadn't been so busy laughing and patting Bandit on the back for choosing such a horrible love song, he would have noticed Fuze quickly taking a look at Jäger. 

The soft guitar played over the speakers loudly, making the song sound even more horrible than it already was, when a male voice started singing: _Would you dance? If I asked you to dance..."_ Kapkan was in fits of laughter now, having fallen to his knees and holding his stomach as he laughed. Bandit, who could barely hold his own laughter, watched for any movement between their two love birds. All the other people in the gym were laughing by now and some were singing along, thinking it was just a funny prank, and finally Fuze and Jäger got off the treadmills as well. They looked at each other uncertainly for a moment before they both looked away, avoiding each other's gaze. Jäger's face was flushed and so was Fuze's, although less so, and even though that might be explainable because they had just been running on the treadmill, it was enough confirmation for Bandit that indeed something was going on between the two, and he and Kapkan just had to get it out. 

Over at the gym, Montagne was cursing while Rook tried to calm him down. Ash and Twitch, who had been working out individually, found each other and sang along, not once feeling ashamed for still knowing the lyrics of the emotional love song by their teen idol. Castle and Thermite watched them, still confused, and were unsure of what to do. Doc, sitting on a bench with his phone while he took a break from working out, watched the girls with an amused smile on his face. Smoke was doubled over laughing where he had been training with Mute, but the latter didn't look so pleased. The two Brits knew who had changed the music, and also their intentions. Smoke tried to sing the song to a very grumpy Mute, but often couldn't utter a single word while he tried to catch his breath laughing. 

"What's playing a cheesy love song going to do? Suddenly make them realise and fall in love? Just like that? It doesn't work that way, this is not some lovey dovey girls’ movie... Oh those two are just ruining it." Mute complained, shoving Smoke away who tried to hold him and caress him quasi tenderly. All Smoke could do was just laugh, and glance over at the love birds. They stood next to each other, Fuze with his hands in his sweatpants' pockets and Jäger, his arms folded, basically waiting for the song to be over so they could continue their work out. These two guys really had no idea, which made Smoke laugh even more. 

"Do you think the system got hacked?" Jäger asked Fuze, not looking at the bigger man next to him but staring at the dark window of the storage room in which he knew the sound system was located. He could have sworn he saw movement. 

"Nah, I think this is just a joke by our lovely team mates..." Fuze answered simply. 

Before Jäger could ask Fuze to confirm he was indeed talking about Bandit and Kapkan, Montagne's voice bellowed over the music, shouting the pranksters' names and rushing towards the storage room. Jäger chuckled while he watched the scene. 

Kapkan and Bandit always got themselves into trouble. The rest of the team were used to their jokes by now, but Thatcher and Montagne wouldn't have it. And of course, neither Kapkan nor Bandit cared, on the contrary, they enjoyed getting on the older operators' nerves and liked to see just how far they could go before one of them snapped and punished them. They often ended up running around the tracks in the middle of the night, outside in the cold, until their seniors were satisfied. Afterwards they would always think it was 'totally worth it', and never once did the partners in crime cease their jokes. On the other hand, if something went wrong, Kapkan and Bandit were always blamed, but Jäger would never feel sorry for either of them. They were often a nuisance. 

When the chorus came, Bandit flung an arm around Kapkan's shoulder and Kapkan put an arm around his hip, and they sang along loudly, celebrating their first success. Because both men were certain that the love birds' flushed faces meant that they had realised something, even though they couldn't have been more wrong. Nevertheless, Kapkan and Bandit moved along badly with the music, unable to control their laughter at the song by the Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias that mostly teenage girls listened to. Their celebrations were short lived, though, because soon Montagne came barging in. He scolded at them, shouting that people could have injured themselves when the music started playing so suddenly, and that they had no right to be in the storage room in the first place. When Bandit and Kapkan showed no regret and just kept laughing, Montagne sent them straight to one of the officers. He went along to make sure they were punished correctly. 

Back in the gym the normal work-out music was turned back on, and everybody saw Kapkan and Bandit fleeing for Montagne, who rushed after them, and soon disappeared through the exit. Fuze shrugged at Jäger before both men returned to their treadmills and continued their work out as if nothing happened. 

"They're ruining it." Mute bit again, watching Fuze and Jäger continue their workout unbothered, while Smoke wiped away his tears from laughing. 

"What do you suggest we should do to bring those two together, then? Because as much as I think they could be a couple, they're both ignorant of their own feelings." 

Mute looked hard at his boyfriend, but he didn't know either. "Really I think we should just wait until they find out themselves. It's not good to rush this." 

"You know they will never find out on their own accord." Smoke grinned at Mute. 

Mute sighed. "I didn't intend to throw Jäger and Fuze into this love game." 

Smoke's grin only widened. 

 

\-- 

_Hereford Base, the gym's changing rooms, a few hours later_

Mute and Smoke were drying themselves off and changing into their usual wear after showering when Fuze and Jäger came into the male's changing rooms, done with their work out as well and hungry for lunch. They greeted the Brits, and without much further ado they got undressed and stepped into individual showers. The showers at Hereford Base were separate, the cubicles had flimsy plastic walls around them to provide at least a little privacy while the men showered. However, not caring that much about privacy after being with the special forces for many years, most men got undressed in the changing area so they wouldn't get their clothes wet. There was no shame between them. 

When Jäger and Fuze had disappeared into the showers and Mute and Smoke heard water running, they looked at each other. 

"Right, I think I see the problem." Smoke admitted. 

"The problem? I don't think there is a problem anymore..." Mute said as he pulled a black T-shirt over his head. "They didn't even _look_ at each other while they got naked. This is the first time they could see each other naked, and if they were interested in each other..." Mute couldn't finish his sentence. 

"But, what if they just felt too shy?" Smoke's grin slowly returned to his face. "Or they didn't want to make each other feel uncomfortable? Or they felt too awkward with us here? Maybe if we wouldn't have been here, they would have..." 

"No, stop it." Mute didn't let Smoke finish his sentence either, no matter how eager he sounded. "There's nothing going on between Fuze and Jäger. We were wrong. I was wrong." 

 

\-- 

_Hereford Base, the workshop, a few days later._

But Mute doubted whether he was really wrong or not. Fuze and Jäger were still the best tech buddies imaginable, spending hours in the workshop together, improving their devices. For the sake of finding out if a romance between the two could be possible, Mute bared to spend a few hours a day at the workshop as well. He observed quietly from his own spot, half working on his own jammers and half spying on the Uzbek and the German. 

Kapkan and Bandit's plan hadn't worked at all, anyway, and had only landed them a punishment for breaking into a room they had no authority to be in. While they had to mop the pavement in front of the barracks in the rain, obviously an endless and useless task, Jäger and Fuze were continuing to be awkward together, not in any way having gotten closer to each other because of the cheesy love music played while they worked out together. 

"There was a slight improvement, but it wasn't sufficient enough. I need more range." Jäger mumbled, concentrating on the plans in front of him and scratching his head. Fuze moved closer and looked at the drawings in front of Jäger. The Uzbek took in the numbers and lines, whispering to himself while his own brains worked to find the problem in Jäger's drawings. Mute observed closely as well, however he looked at their body language rather than the pieces of paper in front of Jäger. 

Jäger stayed where he was, but Fuze was leaning over. His position looked uncomfortable, and to Mute it seemed more logical the Uzbek man dragged his stool closer to Jäger's desk. Now his whole body reached over to be able to bend over Jäger's drawings, his face resting on his hands, his elbows on Jäger's desk, his side touching Jäger's. Jäger didn't seem to be aware of it at all, but in the last couple of days, Mute had started to see a pattern. Fuze liked leaning over to Jäger, leaning against him slightly while he was in such an uncomfortable position. To Mute, the reason why Fuze didn't put his stool closer to Jäger was that he enjoyed the small physical contact he got by leaning over. But was the Uzbek man doing that on purpose or not? 

Still, it could all be coincidence though. It frustrated Mute to no end that there was no clear evidence that either one of them had feelings for the other, but yet there were small signs. For example, Fuze's faint smile whenever Jäger spoke his real name, talked to him or asked for advice. The unsocial Uzbek man, who had no patience with anyone else, was so gentle and calm with the German. Was it because they were friends? Or did Jäger mean more to Fuze than that? Whatever it was, to Mute it seemed Fuze was unexplainably fond of Jäger. Then there was Jäger, who was always happy and cheerful around his best friend Blitz, but seemed worried, nervous and reserved when he was with Fuze. He would talk exclusively about their work and tech, as if he wasn't sure what else to talk about with the Uzbek operator. 

So to summarise, there was Fuze who appeared to feel an unexplainable fondness over Jäger, while on the other side there was Jäger, who didn't seem to know how to behave around Fuze. All of this wasn't enough to make a decision, so Mute left the two alone. Thing was, if he explained his findings to the others, none of them would believe it. Kapkan and Bandit would still try to make them fall in love in the most useless ways imaginable, Smoke wouldn't want to admit he's wrong, Glaz and Tachanka will still think it's really funny but maybe Blitz would see reason? And Sledge? Who didn't really grasp the idea of all of this in the first place? And Twitch and Rook had probably already forgotten about it anyway. 

Closing the door to the workshop behind him, Mute headed to the communal living room where the others would be waiting for him. Kapkan and Bandit demanded a detailed report, and really Mute wondered why he was doing this for them. He felt bad for getting Jäger and Fuze into this, even though they hadn't noticed a thing yet. But still, he wanted them to be happy, and this could be a way to make them happy. Even though Fuze was a little stra- 

"Here's the man!" Kapkan announced as Mute entered the communal living room, standing up and clapping for him. Bandit joined in while Blitz tried to tome the two down. Mute quickly made his way over to them, embarrassed, but after a quick look around he established that they were alone. It was just Kapkan, Bandit, Blitz, Smoke, Glaz and Tachanka. 

"What have you got for us?" Bandit asked as if Mute had just done thorough research. Mute rolled his eyes as he sat down on the sofa between Smoke and Blitz. Kapkan was on one of the arm chairs, with Bandit sitting on the arm rest. The two of them looked expectantly at Mute, eager to hear the results of his observations. Glaz and Tachanka sat in the other two arm chairs that were positioned opposite the sofa and around a small coffee table. Its corners were worn as the operators often put their feet on the table, like most of them did now. 

“Only speculations, no real evidence.” Mute said moodily and looked at all the men gathered around him. Six pairs of eyes were on him, looking expectantly and eagerly. “There are no obvious leads to make me believe they like each other in more than a friendly way.” He continued, at which Bandit boo-ed. Mute looked at him sternly to shut him up. 

“Shut your face, Dom. I’m sure Mark's got evidence that’s less obvious, but that will still help us. Don’t you, Mark?” Smoke asked his boyfriend in a sweet voice, looking at him with a smirk. Smoke already knew. Mute had told him about his findings earlier, but also said it was probably nothing. And it probably was nothing. He really had to stop playing this game. 

“There are... some minor things.” Mute started and immediately Bandit cheered up. Kapkan had the same smirk playing on his lips as Smoke. Tachanka, Glaz and Blitz just listened quietly without interrupting the youngest operator. “I think Marius is clueless, but...” 

“But!” Kapkan repeated, nearly jumping off his chair. 

“... But I’m sure you’ve all noticed Fuze is quite a cold, anti-social guy. Except...” 

“Except when he's with Jäger!” Smoke finished the sentence for him, unable to control his eagerness. He immediately looked at Mute apologetically, who looked furious for being interrupted all the time. Bandit and Kapkan started to cheer but this time it was Glaz who told them to shut up. 

“Listen to the man!” He scolded them and gave Mute the opportunity to continue talking. 

“As I was saying... Fuze seems to be fond of Marius. Usually he likes his own personal space, but with Jäger he seems to want to get as close as possible. Now I’m sure Jäger doesn't notice that, but I wonder if Fuze does this on purpose...” Mute concluded and looked around the table. 

“Well, we'll need to go talk to that boy, don’t we?” Tachanka decided immediately and seemed to be ready to get up and walk straight to Fuze to ask. 

“No no, hold on! You can’t just walk up to him and ask if he’s gay?” Blitz shouted out in horror. 

“No you can’t, we need to be more cautious.” Kapkan stated thoughtfully. 

“By playing them cheesy love songs? Give me a break. You two are ruining this.” Glaz snorted. 

Kapkan played to be hurt and Bandit replied: “Alright, but what have _you_ done so far, Glaz? Where are your great ideas?” 

“I think Glaz is right,” Blitz put in, “Your ways don’t seem to cut it, Maxim and Dom. Why don’t we do as Tachanka says and talk to Fuze?” 

“You don't actually think he'll tell you he likes Jäger, right?” Smoke scoffed at the German. 

“As I said, maybe he doesn’t even know he likes Jäger.” Mute stated matter-of-factly. 

“As the only brains here,” Tachanka spoke up, puffing up his chest, “I can see Fuze isn’t gay. I’ll prove it to you faggots.” He smirked. 

“Not if we prove to you he’s gay first!” Kapkan shouted back, to which Bandit yelled a ‘yeah' and the two high-fived. All Blitz and Glaz did was just shake their heads, so Mute turned to Smoke. 

“James! What do you say?” 

Smoke bit his lip, a small thing Mute loved seeing and he had to remind himself to stay serious here. After some thinking, Smoke responded: “I think we should leave them to do what they think is best,” he waved his hand at Tachanka, Kapkan and Bandit who were arguing loudly about strategies, “and Glaz, Blitz, you and I should make our own plan. Then we'll see which approach works best on those two tech nerds.” 

“But what if they ruin it for us?” Mute nodded at the three shouting and laughing operators with an annoyed gesture. 

“We'll just have to act first. But what will we do?” Blitz asked. 

“Talking to them seems to be the only option...” Glaz shrugged. 

“Yes. Timur, you try to catch Fuze alone. Ask him subtly, try not to raise any suspicion . It’s highly unlikely you’ll get an answer anyway... But try to do it in a relaxed setting. And for the love of God, make sure those two aren’t present when you ask.” Smoke motioned at Kapkan and Tachanka. Glaz nodded before Smoke continued. “And Elias, you’re Marius' best friend, so it should be easy to get some information out of him. Even though he probably has no idea about his sexual preferences, try to get on the topic subtly... And make sure Dom's not around. Who knows what that idiot will do.” 

“Alright.” Blitz answered, looking at Bandit affectionately. _His idiot._

“I wonder if you guys will get any answers...” Mute sighed. 

“Hey, we can try. It’s probably a better plan anyway than what Tachanka or Bandit and Kapkan will come up with...” Glaz’ voice trailed off when Jäger walked into the room, as if he knew they were talking about him. Only, he didn't. He walked over to the group cheerfully and greeted everyone softly. He sat down beside Blitz, who tried to keep his best friend busy as the rest of the group threw expecting glances at them. 

But Jäger either didn't notice, or care. Probably the first. He talked Blitz' ears off about the upgrade he and Fuze had just designed for his ADS, paying little attention to what happened around him. The rest of the group eavesdropped and threw each other hopeful glances as Jäger talked in wonder about Fuze and their work. All Blitz could do was listen to him with a warm smile on his face, happy that his best friend had found someone who enjoyed tech as much as he did. No matter what happened, Blitz was happy that Jäger had found a friend. 

But alas, not everybody around the coffee table wanted Jäger to be happy with Fuze as just his friend. 

"Pretty excited about our comrade, aren't you Jäger?" Kapkan spoke loudly to be sure to get the German's attention. Jäger was interrupted mid-sentence and looked over at Kapkan dumbfounded. He was met by a cheeky smirk, one he knew only too well from when his teammate Bandit was up to no good. 

And as expected, Bandit wore that same smirk. "Enjoying your private time with him, Jägerchen?" 

Jäger's cheeks heated up as Bandit used the condescending pet name he had given him in their early years at GSG9. 

"Watch it, Bandit." Blitz threatened his boyfriend to protect his best friend, as was still often necessary. 

"I'm just asking him a question!" Bandit answered as if he was innocent. 

"Fuze is nice, unlike you, Bandit." Jäger spat. But that didn't have the effect he thought it would have. It made Bandit smirk even more. Jäger didn't understand what was going on, and decided to ignore the prankster and continue talking to Blitz. 

When everybody started talking again and calmness seemed to have returned to the group, Blitz said softly: "You think Fuze is nice? Because to me he doesn't seem like the nicest guy." He tried to say it with a laugh, but it was true Blitz was worried about Fuze's apparent carelessness about the lives of others. He knew he shouldn’t ask it here with Bandit and Kapkan around, but he hoped they wouldn’t notice as they were too busy picturing Jäger falling in love with Fuze. 

"He is." Jäger smiled at him reassuringly. "He may seem like an odd person to you, but once you get to know him, he's really nice. Just a bit...rough..." Jäger rubbed over one of the bruises that was still visible after all these days. 

Blitz cocked an eyebrow at 'rough', but knew his best friend didn't mean it that way. Jäger was way too innocent. He wasn't sure how to put this, but he tried anyway: "But Fuze is not like that with anyone else. Don't you think he's only like that to you?" 

Jäger seemed to be thinking it over for a while before he shrugged and answered a mumbled 'I guess' and continued talking about his ADS. How on earth they were supposed to bring Jäger to the realisation that he may like Fuze, Blitz was clueless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you believe we actually had to sing that horrible song in music class in secondary school? Worst time of my life.
> 
> Sorry if this chapter seems rather weak, I'm not overly happy with it myself... Hope you enjoy anyway ^^


	4. Chapter 4

_Spetsnaz quarters, Hereford Base, a week later._

"What are you sitting here around for?" With that Glaz greeted Fuze, slumped into their stained sofa in the tiny living room. The Russian took off his sniper gloves; he had just practised outside in the military woods around Hereford Base and was surprised to see Fuze in their quarters in the middle of the day. Usually they were all out and about all day, whether they were training, practising, or in the workshop... 

Fuze gave his friend a brief smile and continued focusing on the device in his hand. Glaz threw his gloves aside and kicked off his dirty boots. He made his way over to where the Uzbek was sitting and looked at his hands curiously. Fuze was on his phone. 

"Texting your mum?" Glaz teased with a grin and walked off again, removing his hat and mask. When his hand was on the door handle of his room, Fuze finally answered absent-mindedly: 

"Ah no, just Jäger." 

Glaz stopped and turned around. _Jäger?_ Fuze wore his neutral, passive face and seemed to have more attention for his screen than for his comrade. "You're texting Jäger?" Glaz tried very hard not to chuckle as he said this. 

Fuze looked up from his screen, distracted. "Yeah but he's not replying." 

"Isn't Jäger on a mission right now?" Glaz said, remembering some operators had been dispatched to France a few days ago. 

"Well yes, but I just wanted to know if he's doing okay." Fuze looked troubled. 

Fuze? Wanting to know if someone else is okay? This was a first. "Err, Shuhrat? I don't think even Blitz texts Jäger when they're on missions. And they’re best buds. Why do _you_ care how Jäger's doing?" 

The Uzbek shrugged and stared at his screen. "He seemed so weak when I trained with him. Punched me like a girl." 

Glaz laughed and folded his arms, resting against his door. "Honestly though, Jäger is an elite operator. He knows what he's doing... And when you trained with him... Maybe he went softer on you than he would on an enemy because, well, it's training? And you idiots are friends?" 

Fuze looked up at Glaz in shock. "You think so? I punched the hell out of him..." 

The Russian shook his head with a laugh and sat next to Fuze on the sofa. "Don't worry about it, Jäger's tough enough to take a few punches. And I'm sure he's doing fine right now. He's good at his job, you know? Have you never observed him on missions?" 

"I have..." Fuze replied thoughtfully, to which Glaz grinned widely. _Oh he sure has, has he...?_ Fuze continue after some hesitation: "He doesn't seem so helpless on missions. Knows exactly how to act and handle situations. He's fit and cunning enough to get himself out of every situation... He's just... I just wish I could..." Fuze's voice trailed off. He seemed frustrated, but didn't quite know what to say. 

Glaz watched his friend, his grin returning to a sympathetic smile. "You wish you could protect him?" 

Fuze winced when he heard his sentence finished. It sounded so real to hear it from Glaz’ mouth, and he didn’t want it to be real. It wasn't like him at all to care about someone else. He turned his phone off and put it away, confused with what he was doing and why. 

"You're very fond of him." Glaz observed softly, watching Fuze wince again. 

Fuze opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. He was at a loss for words. Then he looked at Glaz. "I don't really give a shit about the well-being of the others. Of course I'd take revenge on any fucking terrorist who dares to hurt one of us," Fuze motioned around the room, meaning his Spetsnaz brothers, "but Jäger... For some reason I want to be there to make sure he's okay. But since when do I care about other people?" 

Laughing softly at Fuze's bold question, Glaz put a hand on his shoulder. "The German has become a good friend of yours. There's nothing wrong with that." 

"But then why do I feel the need to protect him all the time?" Fuze didn't dare to look at Glaz anymore and instead just stared at the ground. His expression was a combination of anger, shame and confusion. He didn't like talking about such personal things anyway, but Glaz was such a good listener. 

'Because you're in love with him, you fool.' 

It was the answer. But Glaz didn't say it. Fuze didn't see it yet, but he was going the right way. He would have to find that out by himself. Instead, Glaz patted his shoulder, gave him a cheeky grin and went into his room to put his rifling stuff away. Fuze was left on the old sofa, staring after Glaz speechless. 

Well, Glaz was being no help at all... 

 

\-- 

_GIGN headquarters in Paris, France, that evening..._

"Eight unread messages?" Jäger mumbled when the team returned to the GIGN headquarters after two days non-stop battling the White Masks in the capital of France. He was exhausted, and that was an understatement. They had been on active duty ever since they arrived, and Jäger hadn't even felt his smart phone vibrating in his pockets. He had been texting with Fuze before they arrived, but simply hadn't been able to reply to any new messages after that. The bright screen of his phone pained his eyes as he tried to unlock his phone clumsily with his thumb. Really he was way too fucking tired to be bothered to look at the messages, but he did so anyway. 

Jäger sat on his bed with his phone in his hand. Everybody around him complained about being worn out and ready for a week of sleep. Jäger heard them only vaguely. He didn't even notice Blitz, with whom he shared his bunk bed, climb up the flimsy ladder and crash onto his bed. While his eyes drooped, Jäger read the messages. 

_2 days ago: I'm sure we can reach an even bigger range for your ADS with the right adjustments._

_1 day ago: Have you arrived yet?_

_1 day ago: Jäger?_

_1 day ago: How's the mission going? Have you started yet?_

_1 day ago: Good luck if you have._

_Today: Everything going alright?_

_Today: Jäger?_

_Today: Are you okay?_

Smiling at his phone, Jäger read the messages over three times. He typed a long reply of what had been happening to him the past days and told Fuze he was okay. He told the Uzbek, who worried about Jäger more than the German knew, that they were finally allowed to get some sleep and would probably be able to finish this mission tomorrow, and come back either that evening or the day after tomorrow. All they had to do now, was round up some White Masks who had found temporary sanctuary in the poorer outskirts of Paris. He let Fuze know he didn’t expect any problems though as his team consisting of Doc, Thermite, Pulse, IQ, Sledge, Tachanka and Smoke was led by the master minds of Montagne and Blitz. 

"Marius. Get some sleep." Blitz' sleepy head poked out of his bed, and Jäger looked up at his best friend. Blitz narrowed his eyes at the sight of his smiling face. "Who are you texting?" 

Jäger reached up and showed Blitz his phone. Blitz quickly read Fuze's worried messages. "Fuze? Really?" The German attacker managed to grin tiredly. 

Jäger nodded and looked at the messages again. His reply had already been sent, seen and Fuze was already typing a reply. 

Blitz lay back on his bed. "Cute." He said with a sigh. 

'Cute'? Jäger thought. 

 

\-- 

_Hereford Base's training facilities, two days later._

The ops that had been sent to France had not yet returned, making the others that were left in Hereford Base worry about their safety and well-being. True, some worried more than others (Thatcher kept saying the mission was going fine even though they hadn’t heard anything yet while Mute bit his nails worrying about his boyfriend and Fuze worried in silence for Jäger), but all decided they needed some distraction. They found that distraction in organising a joint breaching training with all those who were left behind, since there appeared to be a group of White Masks on the move with a bus that they would have to stop and storm the next time they left their hideout and moved on to their next. 

That day Thatcher, Bandit, Kapkan, Ash, Twitch, Mute, Fuze, Rook, Castle and Glaz gathered in one of the large training hangars of Hereford Base. The mission was to breach a bus and clear all enemies inside, saving innocent travellers if there were any. An old, yellow American school bus was used for this exercise. Its windows carried fake glass from being breached in practise so often, in its walls were bullet holes of different sizes and one of its tires had been punctured. The bus stood in the middle of the isolated hall, giving the team enough space to move around. Once they had loaded their guns with practise rounds and readied themselves behind the starting line, an officer signalled for them to start. The clock started running. 

Thatcher led the charge. Ladders were carried by Rook, Castle, Kapkan and Bandit while Fuze, Twitch, Ash and Mute followed them with hammers at the ready. Glaz ran to the front of the bus. In a few seconds they had reached the bus full of both hostiles and innocent people. They picked the spots for entry and soon started breaching the windows with the hammer, shattering all glass within a second so that the team wouldn't hurt themselves. The ladders were immediately unfolded against the bus and Thatcher led the team up them in a rush. At that same moment, Glaz had already climbed up the bonnet of the bus. He kicked the front window with his foot, shattering the glass, and took shots at the marked dummies inside. Thatcher, Fuze, Twitch, Ash and Mute were now inside and followed Glaz' example of taking out hostiles. Together they cleared the school bus of the last enemies. 

"Clear!" Glaz barked from his position overlooking the inside of the bus. 

"10 seconds!" The officer shouted from outside. "Too slow!" 

Panting, Ash let herself fall into one of the seats. She rubbed his face and cursed herself. 

"Fuck." Twitch breathed, holding onto Ash' seat as she regained her breath. 

"10 seconds, slow? That fucking pillock." Thatcher's chest heaved as he breathed through his gas mask. The team got up and left the bus. The officer scolded at them and told them to do it over. They had been too slow. 

The team went in for the second time. They used the same, standard technique as the first time, now unable to shatter the glass as it was already broken but pretending to anyway: they had to practise for a real breach. The mission took them 9 seconds this time, but Fuze accidentally shot an innocent target. Thatcher wasn't amused while Fuze just kept shrugging and mumbling things like 'it's just training'. 

“Too fucking slow, you’re all dead men. Again!” The officer ordered. 

The team heard those words more than once. Again, again and again they breached the bus. Everybody did their best to be as fast as they could, exhausted as they were becoming but still not giving up. They were part of the most elite forces in the world. They would fucking show this officer. At one point the officer started to put a man inside the bus, hidden between the benches, who would sabotage the mission by waiting for the team to pass by and hold them all under gunshot. After one failed mission, in which they were faster than before but the man had ruined their mission again when they had overlooked him, Fuze nearly shot him out of frustration. Mute had been just in time to stop him. 

“Control that anger dude.” Kapkan punched Fuze's shoulder playfully when they returned to the starting line to breach once again. 

“I would shoot him in real as well, wouldn’t I?” Fuze answered, his anger still white-hot. 

“Yes, only, this guy is one of us. He’s not a bad guy.” Castle, who stood ready next to them, answered calmly. Fuze threw him a filthy look which went unnoticed because of his mask. 

“And we only shoot the baddies. Remember Fuze? Only the baddies, not the good guys.” Kapkan teased. 

“You’re condescending.” Fuze fumed. However before Kapkan could reply, the officer signalled for them to start again. 

This time they managed to do it within 6 seconds and they found the officer's man as well before he could aim his pistol at them. Exhausted but happy and proud, the team collapsed on the broken benches of the school bus. They took off their masks to allow themselves to breath properly and cheered lazily. The officer nodded at them and congratulated them on their success. 

While the team rested and caught their breath, an announcement came: the others had returned from France. Having found new energy, everybody got out of the bus and left the hangar to greet their mates whom they had missed the last couple of days. Kapkan walked at the back with Bandit and Castle. 

“Look who’s running now.” The Russian laughed and pointed ahead of him. At the front of the group walking to the heli pad, Fuze was hurrying. He wasn’t exactly running, more like fast-walking, but it was obvious he was anxious to greet the team who was now getting off the heli. 

“I don’t think it’s Tachanka he missed that much.” Bandit joked as he watched the Uzbek go. 

“Fuze missing someone? Is he even capable of such feelings?” Castle joked along, not knowing what Bandit and Kapkan were talking about but sure as hell letting know what he thought of the odd Spetsnaz operator. 

“Oh yeah, Fuze missed his little German more than he knows.” Kapkan chuckled. 

“Little German? You mean IQ? I don’t think he’s got a big chance with her, to be honest...” Castle answered. 

“Oh no, not that little German...” Bandit grinned knowingly. “Wait and see...” 

And as expected, Fuze waited for his ‘Little German’. Others got out of the helicopter, most of them quite badly injured, but Fuze paid them no mind. Worried voices rose all around him, people hugged each other and expressed their concerns. Not Fuze. He couldn’t give a shit about the others. He only greeted Tachanka weakly when he got off first, and immediately rushed to Jäger when he saw him. The German defender carried a large bandage around his shoulder and looked rather pale. He gave Fuze a watery smile when he noticed his tech friend coming towards him. 

“You... you said you were okay!” Fuze managed to bring out worriedly as he looked the fragile figure of Jäger over. He didn’t touch the German nor helped him walk; he just stood watching helplessly. 

“It was an ambush.” Blitz explained, coming out of the helicopter behind Jäger and helping his best friend away from the vehicle after briefly hugging Bandit. The prankster had worried about his boyfriend more than he cared to admit; his cool personality didn’t allow him to show it the way he should. Blitz understood that and knew that once they were together, later, he would be able to hold the one he loved and spend some time with him. 

With a pang of jealousy Fuze couldnt explain, he watched as Blitz supported Jäger away from the vehicle to get additional medical attention. Doc stood next to Fuze and told him not to worry: Jäger was not in danger. The German had been hit in the shoulder and Doc had stopped the bleeding as soon as he could. The bullet didn’t seem to have hit any vital points, to which Doc was thankful. Jäger could have potentially lost the use of his arm if the bullet had been even a millimetre off from where it had penetrated Jäger's body now. It made Fuze feel sick with anger. Someone had hurt Jäger, the most innocent and kind soul in this godforsaken place, and he hadn't been there to do anything about it. Neither get revenge on the fucktard who hurt him, nor to comfort the smaller German. Why did this anger Fuze so much? 

“We're just glad to have made it out with the whole team. The mission was a success and all White Masks have been eliminated, but at what cost...” Montagne explained to Thatcher and the others, who had now arrived at the heli pad as well. Twitch and Ash rushed towards IQ, who carried a bandage around her head and hugged the German girl carefully, expressing their concerns and worries. It wasn’t easy to be a woman in this men's world, so the three females stuck together and appreciated each other's presence here at Hereford Base. Recently Twitch was in a relationship with Rook though, so they didn’t spend much time with the three of them as they used to. Mute flung his arms around Smoke's neck and Smoke held his boyfriend without saying anything. With their eyes closed they thanked whichever larger being was out there to have brought Smoke back safely to Mute. The SAS operator hadn’t been injured. Sledge seemed to have broken his arm and followed Jäger and Blitz to the medical wing. Doc had given him a make-shift sling. Thermite supported a limping Pulse out if the helicopter. Castle quickly came to their aid and together they helped Pulse inside. 

“Let's get inside.” Thatcher told his friend Montagne, and together everybody went inside. As a team that worked so closely together, they were indescribably happy to be reunited in reasonably good health. Losing someone would be catastrophic to the team... 

\-- 

_The workshop, a week later._

Bandit and Kapkan had decided they had waited long enough, and it was time to act. With their master plan they were 100% sure they would succeed in making Fuze and Jäger fall in love. 

Jäger's shoulder was still bandaged, but he sat in the workshop with Fuze anyway. He gave Fuze advice on improvements on his Matryoshka and in turn Fuze helped Jäger. They sat closely together as Jäger held his ADS with one hand and Fuze worked on it. 

The first step of Kapkan and Bandit's plan was to lure them inside. Bandit had told Kapkan that would be his job, as no way in hell would Jäger trust Bandit if he invited him inside a room randomly. Jäger had come to accept Bandit for who he was, but still felt uneasy around the prankster. And thus Kapkan walked all over the base, trying to locate his targets. Of course he found them in the workshop – why hadn’t he checked there immediately – and not even Mute was there to tell Kapkan off. 

However, he immediately saw that Mute had been right. Nothing about the way the two sat together would make anyone believe that they were secretly in love. They sat closely together, but were so focused on their work they didn’t even noticed their sides were touching. It discouraged Kapkan a little, but he walked over to them anyway. Surprised they didn’t even look up when he entered, Kapkan had to clear his throat to get their attention. 

“What?” Fuze asked coldly after Jäger nearly jumped off his seat when Kapkan had made his presence known. 

“Didn't you get the memo? Why are you two still in here?” Kapkan asked them seriously. 

“What the fuck are you on about?” Fuze asked him, obviously annoyed to be disturbed. Jäger just looked at Kapkan with mild interest. 

“There’s a suspect in interrogation room 2, Six has asked us all to interrogate him. The memo went out recently but I guess you didn’t get it. We have to practise interrogation. Just to get experience, you know.” Kapkan shrugged casually, trying to keep his cool. They musn’t get suspicious now... “We're all placed in teams of two and you’re up, I was told to get you guys.” 

Jäger had already begun to pack his things. If it was Six’s orders, he took it seriously. Within a few minutes he was ready to come along with Kapkan. Perfect. 

The problem was Fuze, however. He looked at Kapkan through half-lidded eyes, obviously suspicious. “Why don’t we know about this?” 

“Like I just said, I guess you missed the memo.” Kapkan was starting to worry. If Fuze wouldn’t come along, this wouldn’t work. 

“C'mon Shuhrat,” Jäger said impatiently, and Kapkan looked dumbfounded at the German speaking the foreign name. He was even more dumbfounded though, when he saw a twitch on Fuze's face, the ghost of a smile. “let’s go, they’re waiting on us.” And by a miracle, Fuze reluctantly started to pack his things. Kapkan had been sure the plan wouldn’t work, but here Fuze was, getting ready to come along. Because Jäger told him so. Weird. 

In less than a minute the two were ready and followed Kapkan out of the workshop. So far so good, Kapkan thought as the German and Uzbek walked behind him in silence. He navigated through the building to the interrogation rooms. He knew exactly where they were even though the operators weren’t asked to interrogate a suspect often. And of course, they weren’t supposed to now either. Six knew nothing about this, and there wasn’t even a suspect. No, this time their plan was more cunning. Last time had been more of a joke, but this time Bandit and Kapkan were sure they would be able to lure Jäger and Fuze out of the closet. This time, they would tempt them. 

Kapkan smirked at the thought of their plan, and was already imagining the looks on the lovebirds' faces. Jäger and Fuze behind him still thought this was serious business, and followed Kapkan obediently. They met fewer and fewer people on their way, and by the time they came to the right corridor, there was no one around anymore. Just how they liked it. Kapkan opened the second door to their left, interrogation room number 2. He motioned for the two men behind him to walk inside, trying to hide the smirk on his face. 

“There’s no one in here.” Fuze stated upon entering the room. His voice sounded quite threatening and angry as he turned to Kapkan for an explanation. He folded his arms in front of his chest and looked impatiently at his teammate. Jäger seemed to get suspicious as well, and looked at Kapkan worriedly. 

“Yes, the suspect is in room 1, but they will brief you on the interrogation in here. After that you will be called to go interrogate the suspect. Can’t interrogate someone if you don’t know what they’ve done, right?” Kapkan improvised and smiled as friendly as he could, to which Fuze raised an eyebrow. That was suspicious. He decided to quickly close the door – and lock it with the keys they had stolen from one of the janitors – to avoid Fuze from getting angry with him and knocking him out. The Uzbek always got a little too rough when he was angry. His worries for Jäger locked up in a room with a man like that quickly vanished when he entered the observation room next to room 2 and saw Bandit's wide grin. 

"Good work mate." Bandit patted him on the back as Kapkan sat down next to him. The observation room was meant to be used to watch the suspect at all times, when he was alone and when he was being interrogated. Two always saw more than one, and the interrogator often missed subtle facial expressions because he was trying so hard to get information out of the suspect. At these times it was handy to have an observer overlooking the interrogation. The observation room had a one-way mirror, which meant that the people in the interrogation room saw nothing behind the window, while the people in the observation room could look into the interrogation room. It was perfect and useful for interrogations, but right now Kapkan and Bandit were exploiting its benefits. 

"Are you ready to play your part?" Kapkan smirked. 

"Ready as ever." Bandit smirked back and turned to the screen of his phone. "Did you lock their door?" 

"They're not going anywhere." 

"Then let's get this party starting." Bandit tapped a few things on his phone and grinned at the text before him. He then turned his attention on the two men in the interrogation room. Fuze was sitting on the table in the middle of the room, looking quite lazy and annoyed. Bandit felt a little uneasy knowing that he had already given up on this interrogation thing and had decided it was all fake. Of course it was, but they couldn't have Fuze trying to break out... Bandit feared for all the bones in his body if Fuze were to catch him after this. Jäger on the other hand, sat on the seat of the interrogator. His back straight and face clear, he waited for the briefing patiently. Poor thing believed anything, Bandit thought. The two weren't talking or even looking at each other, but just waiting for what was to come. Bandit decided not to drag this out any longer and turned on the microphone which enabled them to communicate with the interrogation room. He turned on the voice changer: the longer Fuze and Jäger were unsure of who was talking to them, the longer this lie would last. 

"Welcome to interrogation practise. I will now briefly explain the case you are working on before you will move on to interrogation room 1 to practise on the suspect." Bandit talked in his most serious voice, and saw Fuze and Jäger sharing a look at the voice changer. Of course in practise, and even in reality, a voice changer wouldn't be necessary. The suspicion grew in Fuze's face, who looked rather mad, and even Jäger seemed to be slightly upset. Bandit tried to not mind the growing suspicion and concentrated on the text on his phone in front of him. 

Of course Bandit wasn't going to read out a proper briefing. What would be the use? There was no interrogation practise and the sole purpose that Bandit and Kapkan had locked up Fuze and Jäger in one room, was to get them together. By starting some sexual tension. 

Bandit looked at the website on which he was. Archive of our Own. It was a particularly hot story by one betty2007 he found recently, which had got him to try some new things on Blitz... But that was not important right now. Right now he would read out his favourite bits of this fic to these two love birds. Because this story fitted their situation so well... 

_”It happened late in the evening. After I showered and walked in our room and expected him to be there waiting for me in the bed, but of course he was nowhere to be seen. He was away all day to upgrade his gadgets... I checked my phone to see what time it was and I noticed I got two missed calls from him..._

_So I called him angrily, hoping that he wasn’t at the workshop at this time of the day, but he was of course. He told me to come down and help him finish those damn gadgets... I was pissed because he had looked very tired and frustrated about those damn things all day... but when I arrived at the workshop and opened the door I immediately knew that this would not be only about upgrading... He was only in his sleeping pants and gloves.. nothing else... he was bend over the workbench and worked on his gadget... I noticed by the shape of his pants on his ass that he wasn’t wearing briefs... and hearing the soft music in the background.. I knew he did this because he felt guilty about working on the gadgets every day in his free time.. we didn't spend too much time together..”_

While Bandit read, Kapkan observed the two love birds. Jäger’s eyes were open wide, apparently not used to the wonderful world of fanfictions. It was obvious he was still trying to figure out what this all meant and what it had to do with him interrogating a suspect. Poor thing. Fuze on the other hand had taken an obvious glance at Jäger when the writer described what the man in the fic wore – or rather, didn’t wear – and he had immediately averted his eyes. When the story continued to talk about ass, Kapkan could have sworn he saw Fuze’s eyes move over to where Jäger sat once more before he looked away again and closed them for a second. That was when his face started to turn red... 

_“I thought that if he wanted to play this kind of game, then I'm in it, and I'm in it to win it, so let's see who will be the first to give in._

_So, I walked over nonchalantly... and tried to pay attention not to touch him while I stood right behind him.. I looked over him to see what he was doing, and asked him questions about it... We worked together nicely, and I walked back and forth around the workbench to collect what we needed. One time I purposely touched his backside, gently rubbed my crotch against it. He gasped and his body twitched at the touch. He quickly became impatient and tried to grab my hip, but I moved away immediately, then occasionally I caressed his hand when we were close to each other or kissed his shoulder gently when I was standing next to him, but I didn't want to go further. After half an hour later, he looked so sexually frustrated, I felt sorry for teasing him for so long.. But it was so arousing to see him struggle to not jump on me; he was so hard already and so was I. Once when he worked on a small part, and I was waiting for him to finish it, I walked right behind him and just stood there. I was so close to him that I was sure he was able to feel my body heat through his pants; his hands started to shake as he worked but still didn't say or do anything about it._

_... But when I heard his loud pants, I lost it... I pushed my hard dick between his buttocks ... and he groaned loudly; his whole body trembled with need as he tried to tug down his own pants.”_

While Jäger continued to look increasingly confused and completely out of place, Fuze put his hands on his knees and dug his nails into the fabric of his combat trousers. He bit his lip and stared at the floor, not seeing anything apart from the scene Bandit described played out in front of his eyes. Or at least, that was what Kapkan thought. Was this gay porn turning Fuze on, or was he getting ready to murder Bandit and Kapkan? 

_”So, we finally got rid of his pants and I shoved my erection between his buttocks, then I felt the wetness between them, the unmistakable texture of lube._

_'Did you prepare yourself?' I growled in his ear, and he said nothing. He just nodded furiously, so I immediately trusted my hips back and forth, coating my dick with the remaining lube, but I knew it would not be enough. Just as I thought about it, he shoved a small tube of lube in my palm. So I wasted no time, coated my palm with a generous amount of lube and smeared it around my dick. I was so horny but he was no better. I finally angled my dick to his entrance and shoved in deeply; there was not much resistance since he prepared himself well enough but he still groaned loudly in pain or pleasure, I didn't know nor care since I knew he liked it rough sometimes._

_So... I..._ (Bandit had to hold in his perverted giggles when his favourite part came up) _I pushed all his crap aside on the table, then I shoved him on it, and Oh God it was an incredible feeling to be finally inside him after so long. I rammed in him hard and fast, and he was only able to bend over the table and just take it. I was so determined to make him come first that I focused only on finding his sweet spot...the whole table and everything on it shook because of the force of our intercourse._

Bandit was having the time of his life reading out the glorious fanfiction he had found on the internet. But then the door to the observation room opened. Bandit and Kapkan jumped up in surprise, the phone fell to the floor and the microphone was knocked over. The two pranksters cursed as someone entered, their eyes as wide as the intruder's. It was Thatcher. 

"Brunsmeier? Basuda? What are you nitwits doing in here?" He shouted out in that rough voice of his. He had been surprised to find the observation room occupied, but seeing these two could mean no good. Thatcher glared at them and Bandit and Kapkan didn't even have time to come up with any excuse. The old man looked into the interrogation room, where there was a very innocent-looking Jäger still sitting on his seat, although his position was a lot less comfortable now: his back was no longer straight and his face was contorted in confusion and worry. Fuze on the other hand sat tensed up on the table, his face bright red and his eyes looking anywhere but at the German. His hands were on his knees, gripping his combat trousers tightly. Thatcher swore he could see the white of his knuckles from where he stood. He returned his attention to the two men in front of him. "What are you two up to? Speak!" 

Bandit quickly reached over the table to turn the microphone off before Kapkan started to speak. If Fuze and Jäger knew it was them, they would be screwed. Not so much by Jäger, but Fuze would beat them up to the point where they wished they were never born. 

"Thatcher, you gotta believe us, we're doing this for the greater good." Kapkan blurted out. Bandit facepalmed. That coming from Kapkan was probably even less convincing than Pulse saying he's ever had sex with anyone. And of course, Thatcher didn't believe a word. 

"You two? Doing something to help someone else? What's next, Bandit here telling us he's ever helped out a recruit?" Thatcher snorted. 

"I have, actually!" Bandit immediately objected and pouted. That punishment he got after torturing Jäger to get attention from Blitz back in their days with the GSG9 in Berlin was still fresh in his memories. Oh the horror. 

"I only came to collect these files I left here really," Thatcher shook his head and picked up a bundle of papers from the table, "but I see two men over there who are highly uncomfortable. Tell me what you are doing to them." 

Bandit and Kapkan looked into the interrogation room and saw Fuze still staring into space, holding onto his trousers tightly and apparently trying to hold his breath – and all men knew that was a way to get rid of an unwanted boner... – while his face was still as red as a tomato. And on the interrogator's seat was a highly confused and uncomfortable Jäger who still tried to grasp what he had just heard. 

"Well you won't believe us, but they're gay. Too." Kapkan pointed at the men in the other room and Bandit almost facepalmed again. Kapkan was a master at his job, but when it came to being subtle and tactical in conversations, he was a disaster. "So..." 

"So," Bandit quickly took over from Kapkan, who was digging himself a hole, "we took it upon ourselves to get them together." Thatcher raised his eyebrows at that, which Bandit took as that the old man was impressed at their sacrifice. 

"So you two are telling me half this base is gay, if you could have it your way?" Thatcher scratched his chin as if he was considering its possibility. Kapkan and Bandit nodded eagerly, thinking they were being understood and that they would be out of trouble. Thatcher slammed his fist on the table. "Impossible!" He shouted angrily. "I have my doubts with that German," he pointed at Jäger in the interrogation room, who had noticed Fuze felt very uneasy and was trying to communicate with his friend. Kapkan and Bandit tried to hold in their giggles at Fuze who desperately tried to avoid any form of communication with Jäger, whether verbally or physically. "But Fuze is a man! In no world is that man gay. Actually, now that I think about it," Thatcher put his papers back down on the desk, snatched the stolen keys from in front of Kapkan and made to walk out of the room before he turned and added to the two pranksters: "I will get to you two shortly. And don't you try to run and hide, I will have you punished for stealing keys and breaking into rooms without permission." 

Kapkan and Bandit looked at each other when Thatcher just walked off. What was the old man going to do? Soon they got their answer: From behind the window they saw the door of the interrogation room opening and Thatcher walked in, making vague excuses at which Jäger quickly fled out of the room. Having expected Jäger to burst in to find out who had pranked him, Kapkan and Bandit were surprised when Jäger apparently walked right by their door and didn't bother to look in. He seemed to be in a hurry. 

"Does Blitz really want to see him?" Fuze asked Thatcher, still suspicious. He hadn't moved off the table yet and sat waiting uncomfortably, apparently waiting for Thatcher to leave so he could better hide the tent in his trousers. 

"No, I just wanted him to leave. Walk with me, Shoe." And with that, Thatcher left the room. Fuze casted an untrusty look at the one-way mirror before he adjusted his trousers and quickly followed Thatcher out of the door. He found the old man waiting for him in the corridor. Without a word, Thatcher started walking off, and Fuze followed him. He led the Uzbek operator back to the sleeping quarters of the operators, walking resolutely and never once looking back to see if Fuze was still following. But he was, and he was a bit confused at being led to the SAS quarters. 

When Thatcher opened the door and held it for him, Fuze declined. "I have no business in there old man. I will find my way to my own quarters from here. Thank you." 

Cocking an eyebrow at the 'old man', Thatcher pushed Fuze inside. Usually he would have gotten angry over Fuze's disrespect, but there were more important matters right now. Fuze struggled and complained, but soon found himself inside the SAS quarters. He followed Thatcher through the narrow corridor into the living room, their quarters very similar to his own. The old man quickly vanished into his own bedroom, leaving Fuze in the living room where he noticed Mute and Smoke cuddling on a sofa. 

"Fuze?" Mute seemed sleepy when he looked up and noticed the intruder, but he quickly woke up. "What are you doing here?" Thatcher leading one of the love birds in here could mean no good. Smoke sat up too, looking at Fuze with an amused smile on his face. 

"Thatcher told me to follow..." Fuze started to explain, but he couldn't say much more when the old man returned. He pressed some magazines against Fuze's chest and pushed him back into the corridor. 

"Those two think you swing the other way, boy. But I think you're just confused. Have a look at this and you'll feel normal again." Thatcher whispered, hoping the two younger Brits wouldn't hear him. Fuze felt like he was talking to Doc who was prescribing him some medicine, but he didn't get the chance to look at his medicine nor to talk to his doctor. Thatcher shoved him out of the door and there Fuze stood, in front of a closed door with some... strange magazines in his arms. 

Fuze rushed to the Spetsnaz quarters and, not finding anyone there, sat down at the desk in the living room and started leafing through the magazines. 

Porn magazines, to be precise. 

Several thoughts flew through the Uzbek man's head as he looked at the girls in lingerie. 'Those two?' Who? 'Swing the other way?' What was that supposed to mean? 'Have a look at this and you'll feel normal again?' How were some ancient porn magazines going to make him feel better? 'Normal?' He was feeling fine, apart from the fact that that gay story in the interrogation room had sounded way too hot to him to be considered normal – had he really then imagined that he was the one finding the tempting man in the workshop, and had he really imagined the other man was his friend, Jäger? Who had been sitting right there next to him, right there within his reach? 

"What are you studying?" 

Fuze nearly jumped out of his seat when he heard Tachanka giggling behind him. He turned around on his chair and saw the big man walking towards him. 

"Where did you come from, Chanka? Thought I was in here alone." Fuze asked casually. 

"Was in my room. What have you got there?" Tachanka looked over Fuze's shoulder and stopped breathing for a second when he saw several magazines on the desk in front of Fuze, all opened on random pages but all unmistakingly sporting pictures of good looking women in scarce clothes. "Oh." 

"Thatcher gave me them." Fuze explained and shrugged. He glanced over the pictures of the tempting women and looked at Tachanka again, his face blank. 

"And these lovely ladies aren't motivating something down south?" Tachanka asked dumbfounded, pointing at the porn magazines. When all he got from Fuze was a confused look, he added: "Shuh... You're looking at porn magazines as if they're some home decor magazines..." 

Fuze let that information sink in before he asked: "So... These are supposed to turn me on? How?" 

Tachanka cocked an eyebrow. If naked women didn’t turn him on, then... He sighed. It seemed like he had already lost his bet. He could explain to Fuze the many ways that porn could turn a man on, he could explain the beauty and the need of it, but he had to admit his teammate was a lost case. He watched Fuze take another attempt at the porn, but the way he seemed to be reading to get useful information out of them told Tachanka this man did _not_ like girls as he had claimed that night in the bar. 

He sighed again. "Can I borrow them?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all I'd like to thank the awesome Betty2007 for giving me permission to use a part of her fic (in italics, the one Bandit read to the innocent Jäger and Fuze) in my own one! Her fic, with the very same pairing in this one (Fuze/Jäger), is sooo good (and has a lot more sexy time than mine) and I recommend you all to read it! c: [That Kinky Dream of Yours by Betty2007](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12797247)
> 
> Secondly I'd like to thank Katargo for her help brainstorming about the second part of this chapter. Half of the dialogue was her idea! (x
> 
> Then thirdly, I referenced a scene of the movie 6 Days for the bus breach exercise (watch that scene here:[link.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXPG3Tq-R4M)). This movie is based on a real event: in 1980 hostages were held in the Iranian Embassy in England and the SAS were the heroes who stopped the terrorists! I recommend you all to watch it if you love the SAS, it's a great movie (: I just liked the scene a lot and wanted to use it in my fic, it's not really relevant to the story...
> 
> I usually check my chapters a million times before I upload them, and I usually do that on the train. Now however I have started work experience (at the police! :D) and I'm on the train very early. So sorry if I missed any mistakes (x Please point them out if you find any. Hope you all enjoyed c:


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... in which we observe a sexually frustrated Fuze...  
>  Hopefully this chapter isn't all over the place, please enjoy! c:

_Doc's examination room, Hereford Base, that evening._

"Kapkan? Bandit?" 

Doc had opened the door to his office and was faced with two poor-looking operators, whom he recognised underneath all the bruises and bloody noses as Kapkan and his friend Bandit. They looked rather upset and quite hurt, so Doc let them in immediately. He opened the door wider and stepped aside to let the two stagger inside. "What have you done now?" Doc asked them as he closed the door. 

"Fuze." Bandit muttered, climbing on the examination table and sitting there, swinging his legs. The German looked pretty grumpy. 

"He didn't really like a... prank we played on him." Kapkan shrugged and sat next to Bandit. Thatcher had punished them rather severely, making them sweep the leaves in the forest adjacent to the barracks. It was a useless task as it was autumn and leaves kept falling, so they were never done. Still, Thatcher had given them the punishment himself and hadn't told any of the officers about it. The old man said he was convinced that of the two, at least Fuze wasn't gay, and didn't think it was worth the fuss to tell everyone about this. And so Kapkan and Bandit had been sweeping the forest all afternoon and when they finally came back to the barracks, tired and brain-dead, Fuze had been waiting for them. And oh, compared to the punishment they got from the Uzbek operator, Thatcher’s punishment had seemed child’s play. The look on Fuze's face had been a storm of boiling anger, and not even together had Kapkan and Bandit been able to protect themselves against his white-hot aggression. 

Knowing Fuze was a man who rather solved his problems with his fists than with words, Kapkan and Bandit should have seen this coming. He had showed them no mercy, not even his comrade Kapkan, and had made sure they would never repeat such a thing. Fuze had been embarrassed and confused, and above all furious. However, Kapkan and Bandit only experienced that last emotion, as they were beaten up severely. 

That early evening Kapkan and Bandit couldn’t find out if their plan had worked or not as they spent all their time with Doc patching them up. The Frenchman didn’t ask any questions as to what happened, and the two pranksters would have been too grumpy to answer them anyway. They had hoped Fuze would have been grateful for their attempt to make him see his true sexuality, but instead he had been downright furious. So there they were, sitting on Doc's examination table as the medic stopped their nosebleeds and put ice on their bruises. Kapkan had a rather ugly cut on his lip and Bandit had a black eye. Beside the numerous bruises all over their bodies, Kapkan noticed his fingers weren't quite straight anymore, so Doc had to strap them up. It took an hour to patch the two pranksters back up, and another half hour of Doc's lecture about how the two should stop the pranks before Kapkan and Bandit were released from the clean-white office. 

But instead of going to their beds to rest as Doc had suggested to them, Kapkan and Bandit made their way to the communal living room. They hoped the others were still up, because they wanted to tell them what they had done today. Although, upon entering the living room, that didn't seem quite necessary anymore... 

"You idiots!" Mute shouted over from where he sat with Smoke, Blitz and Glaz the moment he saw the two pranksters entering the living room. The two smiled sheepishly and joined the others. 

"What have you done now?" Blitz asked Bandit as his boyfriend sat next to him, touching his black eye gently with a worried look on his face. Bandit bit back a groan of pain when Blitz touched the sensitive skin and held Blitz' hands in his. 

"That's the same thing Doc said." Bandit chuckled, trying to mask how bruised he was. 

"Fuze couldn't keep his hands to himself." Kapkan answered Blitz' question as Glaz ran his thumb over the cut on Kapkan's lips. He was obviously trying to look worried but at the same time his mind wandered to dark places... 

"Not strange after you two lock him up and make him listen to gay porn." Mute folded his arms and looked quite angry. 

"Hey, he enjoyed it, I'm sure." Bandit winked. 

"What makes you think that?" Blitz cocked an eyebrow. 

"Well he was definitely looking like a man trying to hide his boner." Kapkan smirked. 

"… Or just immensely uncomfortable?" Glaz put in. 

"Alright, look." Smoke stopped the argument. "I don't usually agree with these three that we should make them find out subtly, but honestly, what were you two trying to achieve? What were you expecting? That your fanfiction would get them snogging right there in front of you?" 

"Well..." Bandit started, a naughty look on his face. Blitz looked at him sternly. 

"Shut up, Bandit." Smoke cut him off before he could tell them his fantasies. "You obviously don't know Jäger, and Kapkan, you obviously don't know Fuze. They would never have reacted the way you hoped, and should have expected the way they did." 

"Thatcher told us all about it after he took Fuze in our quarters this afternoon. How embarrassed they were... You two are ruining this. They shouldn't be embarrassed for their feelings for each other! If there even are any…" Mute’s voice trailed off. 

"May I add that Jäger still has no idea about his feelings?" Blitz put in. "I only just learned now what actually happened in the interrogation room, but when Jäger came to me this afternoon, he was so confused. He thought the practise was real and he was so upset that he didn't understand a thing. We must think of a different approach for him... And if I see the two of you, we should consider a different approach for Fuze too." 

"Well, you want to know what Thatcher did to ‘save' Fuze?" Smoke tried to hold in his laugh. Everybody looked at him before he revealed the secret: "Gave the man porn magazines." 

Blitz gasped, Glaz looked like he couldn't believe it and Kapkan and Bandit looked at each other in shock. 

"All our hard work!" 

"So Glaz," Mute took over from Smoke while he was laughing his arse off, "we were wondering if you have seen what Fuze did with the magazines? Since Kapkan was getting his punishment, we hoped you were there when Fuze came back from our quarters?" 

But Glaz shook his head. "No, I was down in the range. Maybe Chanka was there?" He offered and quickly pulled out his phone from his trousers' pockets. His fingers tapped away on the screen and while they waited for a reply from the big Russian, Mute started arguing again about how Kapkan and Bandit were ruining everything. 

Blitz looked around the room to make sure no one was overhearing them. As usual IQ and Ash were chatting over in their own corner, Thermite and Castle were playing chess at their table and Montagne was reading a newspaper in a comfortable chair. Nobody looked like they knew what the argument was about. The German sighed and thought about that afternoon. It was true Jäger had been very upset when he came to Blitz. It had taken a lot of comforting and shoulder pats to calm him down. Blitz had promised Jäger he would find out what went wrong with the information on the interrogation, but already then he had had the hunch that Bandit and Kapkan were behind this. 

Jäger wasn't here now, and neither was Fuze. Both were probably already in bed, wanting to forget the events of the day. Or would they only haunt their dreams? 

"He was there when Fuze came back and he's coming over here now." Glaz interrupted Blitz' train of thought as he announced Tachanka was coming. It didn't take long before the man himself arrived. He made his way over to where the group sat, but his face didn't reveal anything. He greeted everyone and sat down, his feet on the coffee table. 

Arms crossed and staring at the ground grumpily, Tachanka said: "I lost." 

The others around the table looked at him with keen eyes and held their breaths, but this information meant nothing to them. He lost? What? 

"The bet." Tachanka clarified as if he already expected that the others wouldn't understand. 

"Oh yeah, the bet.” Smoke smirked. 

“Hold on, you thought Fuze liked girls..." Kapkan understood what Tachanka was on about and the worry in his face lifted. 

Bandit understood too. "So if you lost, that means..." 

"Fuze doesn't like girls." Smoke finished the sentence with a grin. 

Tachanka sighed and nodded, to which Kapkan, Bandit and Smoke cheered. Glaz and Blitz smiled at each other at the knowledge that Bandit and Kapkan apparently didn't fuck up that much with their gay porn interrogation. Mute just facepalmed. 

"What did he do with the porn mags then?" Kapkan asked Tachanka eagerly, who looked up at him in disgust. 

"Studied them like they were some boring home and design magazines. What's wrong with him? Why didn't he like those pretty girls?" Apparently it was very hard for Tachanka to understand that not every man enjoyed looking at pictures of naked girls. 

Kapkan and Bandit laughed themselves to tears while Smoke asked: "So can we say Fuze has officially figured it out now?" 

"Definitely." Kapkan said at once, cheering with Bandit and going on and on about how their sacrifice had helped Fuze. It had taken its toll on them, but Fuze was now one step closer to finding happiness in his life. But did the Uzbek operator think the same about his new-found sexuality? 

 

_The canteen, at breakfast the next morning._

Fuze had barely slept that night. 

The horror, the fear, the doubts, the shock, the… realisation. 

They had weighed heavy on him. He had laid awake all night, thinking, worrying, pondering. Thinking about Jäger, what he meant to him. Wondering about his feelings, what they could mean. Pondering over what had happened, and how he could forget it as soon as possible. But the night had shown him there was no forgetting. Jäger was on his mind, Jäger and his strange feelings for the small German. 

The way Tachanka had reacted when Fuze said he didn’t like the porn magazines, as if he was down with some kind of disease, made Fuze feel uneasy. Why was not liking the magazines so wrong? The ‘interrogation’ that afternoon was the answer, and Fuze knew it. He hated that he knew it. There was no denying and hiding it anymore now. Kapkan and Bandit had faced him with sthat thing he vaguely knew, but never dared to acknowledge. 

He was gay. 

That’s a piece of information Fuze had known for a while. If women didn’t turn him on, then men did, right? Although, he had never thought about it that way. Nor had he ever thought about it at all. He had always tried to avoid thinking about anything involving feelings, preferring to think he was asexual or whatever. Because being gay was shameful, right? He kept his feelings to himself, hiding them, forgetting about them. But the interrogation, oh the interrogation had brought them right back to him. He had had to face them, in the presence of Jäger. 

Feelings were awakened, interests aroused and damn, had Jäger ever looked so attractive before? 

His short, blonde hair, those blue eyes, his features… They were perfect, at least to Fuze. Of course Jäger wasn’t a model, but at that time, when the story Bandit read had talked about a man as some kind of lust object, Fuze had pictured it to be Jäger. Even though the story didn’t have any names in it and there was no possible reference to the German, Fuze had enjoyed imagining it was Jäger. A handsome man, hot in his own way and above all so easy to _want_ , was Jäger. A sin. 

That night and even now still, Fuze hadn't been able to get his mind off the story Bandit had told in the interrogation room; wasn't able to stop his brains from putting himself in that story, along with Jäger... It was fucked up. Not as things were supposed to be. He shouldn’t think about Jäger this way. 

But he had. Why? For one, he was a loner. An einzelgänger. He rarely let anyone get close to him, with an exception for his comrades from Russia. But even that friendship was cold and distant. Jäger was different. He was pleasant to be around with. Quiet and friendly, and most of all their mutual interest in tech were what made the smaller German so likeable. Without noticing, he had allowed Jäger into his heart. But he had never meant for the German to get any further. 

Or had he? 

Secondly, if Jäger was such a good friend, Fuze shouldn’t think about him in any perverted way. But he liked it. That night, Fuze hadn't been able to ignore the throbbing pain between his legs anymore after hours of lying awake and thinking about the German. He had jerked off both shamefully as well as shamelessly to the fanfiction, putting himself in the position of fucking the other man: Jäger. He had imagined the German standing in the workshop, like the man in the fanfiction had, wearing gloves and pants only. The teasing, the touching, just picturing it was enough to send Fuze over the edge. Once he finished himself, Fuze hoped he would be able to forget about it all. Wrong. Jäger had been on his mind constantly, all night long. In both affectionate and perverted thought. 

The craving for the German had come so sudden, it confused him and made him feel stupid. Yesterday he had been fine, going about his life as he had always done. Then from one day to the other, he was having sexual fantasies about a man he considered a friend. How wrong was that? All because of one story, because he had been forced to hear it in a small room, locked up with Jäger. It shouldn’t have been so easy. But Fuze wanted him. He wanted Jäger. 

Now Fuze was sitting in the canteen, more dead than alive as he tried to stay awake over a very strong coffee. He sat alone, not wanting to have anything to do with Kapkan, who had awakened his true sexuality and made him see Jäger could be more than a friend, or Tachanka, who had looked at him so strangely when he had denied the porn magazines turned him on. Glaz was the only one he felt like he could pour his heart out to right now, but of course he sat with the other Russians and thus Fuze was forced to sit alone. If he hadn’t been so tired, he would have been aware of their stares in his direction. 

Tired as he was, Fuze had not noticed how Jäger had come into the canteen either. The German had been comforted by Blitz that the whole gay porn thing was just a joke of Bandit and that he shouldn't pay anymore mind to it. Of course Jäger was shocked to see Bandit beaten up, but the operators had decided to keep it all quiet for Jäger. They would make him realise in a different way. Jäger was cute, innocent, but ignorant. He had no idea. But for now the German noticed that, when he had picked up his breakfast and was looking for a space to sit, his friend Fuze sat alone. 

Usually they only sat together in the workshop, but now Fuze looked like he could use some company. The fact that he sat alone probably meant that he had a head ache, so Jäger just wanted to sit with him. Not to talk, but to support him. And thus Jäger put down his tray on the table gently and sat opposite from Fuze, who jumped as if he hadn’t seen the German coming. Jäger smiled at him and started eating, leaving Fuze alone. 

Jäger only noticed something was off with Fuze when he finished his breakfast. The food on his tray lay untouched, his body was tense and the strangest of all, Fuze's knuckles were bruised. When Fuze noticed Jäger’s staring, he looked down at the table and avoided eye contact at all costs. 

“Hey, are you okay?” Jäger asked him quietly. When Fuze only grunted in confirmation and didn’t look at him, Jäger took his hand gently and examined it. To his surprise Fuze gave him a look of horror then, pulled his hand back and left. Jäger was left dumbfounded at the table. He wasn’t able to make a connection with Fuze's behaviour and the events of yesterday, nor with Fuze's purple knuckles and Bandit and Kapkan’s beaten-up faces. 

 

_Outside the barracks, that afternoon._

All day Fuze had been in the gym. He had ran on the treadmill for miles, had lifted weights until his arms started shaking and practised boxing against the mat until his knuckles were bleeding. His knuckles had taken quite a beating these last two days but Fuze didn’t care about the pain nor the blood. He wanted to get Jäger out of his mind. The revelation of his interest in the German left him confused and angry, and he wanted nothing more than reverse the time so that the stupid interrogation thing never happened. If it hadn't, he would be in the workshop right now, working with Jäger instead of running from him. Afraid of his feelings, Fuze had avoided him all day even though he usually loved his company. 

Now, after many hours of exhausting and distracting himself, Fuze walked outside on the headquarters' grounds in the warm, dying sunlight of autumn. He had wanted to forget about Jäger, but it had only worked partially. The German had been on his mind all day, making Fuze realise that he was, in fact, in love. Fuze couldn’t stop thinking about Jäger. It all made sense now. Why he liked being around the German, why he loved his accent as he spoke his name, why he always seemed to want to get closer to him… He had liked the blonde without ever fully knowing. But it was all so strange to him. Since when was he, Fuze, capable of loving? Since when did he have feelings other than anger and rage? Since when was he not cold anymore? How had Jäger been able to find his way into his heart? But the most important question was: what did Jäger feel for him? 

As he walked along the empty lanes of the HQ, Fuze suddenly heard hushed voices. As he was completely unaware of his surroundings, he looked around in panic before he spotted two figures on the grass by the side of the road. Fuze hid behind the nearest tree, ashamed as he was for being so lost in thought that he hadn't seen or heard anything. Peeking out from behind the tree at the two figures, he was relieved to see they were just Mute and Smoke. However, the feeling of relief didn't last long. 

Mute lay with his back on the grass and his hands were on Smoke's arse as his boyfriend lay on top of him, making out with the smaller male below him. Knowing fully well that the two lovers thought they had some privacy out there and that Fuze wasn’t supposed to be watching, he didn’t look away. Fuze simply couldn't tear his eyes away from the make-out session as he watched their lips working together and their hips grinding into each other. He could see Mute groping Smoke's ass, squeezing it and playing with it to add to the tension. He heard soft moans escaping the kiss while Smoke talked dirty to Mute in a low voice. 

Fuze felt the same painful throbbing between his legs as he had done yesterday night while thinking about fucking Jäger. He watched his British teammates get it on while wondering if he would ever do this with Jäger, or, even better, he _imagined_ doing this with Jäger. Resting his hands on the tree in front of him, Fuze tried to imagine what Jäger's lips felt like. He wondered if the German was a passionate or a rough kisser and most of all, he wondered what squeezing his ass would feel like. 

Without thinking about it, Fuze pressed his lips to the tree. The bark was rough and didn’t resemble Jäger’s lips at all, but Fuze was just having a go at making out. As he couldn’t just kiss Jäger out of the blue, how else was he supposed to practise? And he was horny. Oh so horny. He grinded his hips into the tree, gaining a painful friction that was only half pleasurable. But never mind that. He imagined grinding into Jäger's smaller body, playing with his lips and musing about the idea of feeling the German's erection against his own through the fabric of their clothing. 

It was stupid. Having tried all day to forget about Jäger, seeing the two Brits making out instantly brought the German back on his mind. Whereas before he had tried to ignore the want for Jäger's body, he now found he craved it. He needed release and he wanted Jäger to be the one to have it with so badly. 

Fuze caressed the tree, his knuckles no longer feeling painful as he imagined he was with Jäger. His lips started to get bruised but Fuze continued anyway, being too lost in the moment of kissing his tree-Jäger. His dick was painfully trapped between his heavy, tired body and the hard bark of the tree as he grinded his hips into it. 

“Hey, are you alright there mate?” 

Fuze literally jumped away from the tree and looked into the flustered face of Mute, and the wide grin of Smoke next to him. His heart pounded in his throat at the sudden surprise he got, but feeling too startled and ashamed he didn’t know what to say. 

"...You know, I'm sure that tree doesn't need your help to keep it upright." 

"James!" Mute shouted angrily as Smoke laughed at his own joke. He gave him a playful slap on the cheek before he returned his attention to Fuze, trying to look friendly and sympathetic while still being annoyed with his boyfriend. 

"Uhm, this is not what it looks like...? I just wanted to… make sure this tree is okay. It's an, uh, old Uzbek way of checking for rot." Fuze stammered. 

"So you people run around hugging trees more often?" Smoke winked at him and earned another slap on the cheek from Mute. 

"Why don't you go see Jäger?" Mute tried while Smoke laughed and rubbed his cheek. 

"Why should I go to Jäger?" Fuze countered, a little too hostile to Mute's liking. He is denying he's in love with Jäger, Mute thought. 

"Maybe he needs checking for rot too." Smoke was barely able to get the sentence out as he was laughing so hard, and dodged another slap from Mute. If possible, Fuze’s cheeks turned an even darker shade of red. Smoke ran away laughing, leaving Mute with Fuze. However, the possibility for Mute to have a serious conversation with Fuze had just been taken away by Smoke's jokes. Fuze looked angry, but Mute knew deep inside of him his feelings were conflicting. 

Mute sighed. "Do us a favour, Fuze, and don't abuse the local flora too much. Go talk to Jäger." He looked at Fuze knowingly before he left the man alone. The sun had set even though it wasn't even dinner time yet, and Fuze shivered slightly as the sun no longer warmed his body and the adrenaline of his make-out session with the tree wore off after he was so rudely interrupted. 

He wasn't going to see Jäger though, fuck that. The last thing he needed now was to be around the man who made his head go crazy. If he just avoided the German for a while, he was sure this strange feeling for him would wear off. It was all just a phase, some kind of sickness. He would get over this and then he would be able to work in the workshop with Jäger again, just like before. He was _not_ in love. 

 

_GSG9 quarters, later that week_

"I have never seen you so often in here during the day, Marius. Did they close the workshop?" IQ smiled at the blonde man, who sat at the desk in the living room of their quarters. In front of him lay the German military magazine K-ISOM, Jäger's favourite, but he didn't seem to be reading it. In fact, IQ could have sworn it lay open on the same page as it had done yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that. 

Jäger was never so quiet and idle. Usually he spent his free time in the workshop, but now he was sitting there at the desk all day. He still went out for a run early in the morning with Blitz, still worked out and trained in the range, but apart from that he only sat around here. IQ watched him worriedly. Even though she thought that Jäger's worried face was extremely cute, she preferred to see his cheerful, attractive smile. 

"Are you okay?" She asked him quietly, and sat on the armrest of the sofa next to the desk. Putting her hand on his shoulder gently, she tried to comfort him even though she had no idea of what was going on. 

"I don't know... I'm so bored lately." Jäger murmured and shrugged, looking down at his magazine but not reading a single word. 

"Why don't you go to the workshop?" IQ tried to cheer him up, but Jäger shrugged again. 

"The workshop is boring too. Fuze is never there anymore and I want his opinion on one of my newest designs..." His voice trailed off before he looked at IQ and asked her: "Do you think he hates me?" 

IQ didn't quite know what to say. Fuze didn't seem to be a guy to like other people in the first place, so she found it odd why Jäger thought they were friends. But then again, upon joining SIX she hadn't been hanging out with the guys as much as in GSG9 anymore, and wasn't up to date with their social problems. "How can anyone hate you, Marius." She smiled warmly at him, and earned a small smile back. He's so adorable, IQ thought. After her crush on Blitz in the GSG9 but finding out he is gay, she had always liked Jäger, Blitz' best friend. "Maybe he's just ill?" 

Jäger shrugged again and continued staring at his magazine. Poor thing, IQ thought. 

"Let me go find out." IQ said cheerfully and rushed out of the living room before Jäger could object. She walked through the corridors resolutely, keeping her eyes open for the men she was looking for: Glaz, Tachanka or Kapkan. She searched all over the base before she found Kapkan down in the CQB training facility. 

Clad in his full gear, the Russian stood ready to breach and enter the make-shift house of wooden panels. In his hands was one of the training rifles, which fired blanks for safety. She spotted Glaz up in the observation room who seemed to be speaking to Kapkan over an ear piece. A beeping noise announced the start of Kapkan's training, and IQ waited in a safe spot for Kapkan to finish up. 

Kapkan was obviously trying to break his own time record. He worked swiftly and clean, moving through the rooms like a professional and his feet dancing over the floor. IQ watched him with wonder. None of the other operators were able to flush out terrorists as efficiently as the Russians. Kapkan used short bursts, always hitting the targets spot on. He reloaded at just the right moments and without wasting any time. His attentive glance from under his hood never missed target nor civilian. He was fearless and determined, putting his body and mind into the training fully. IQ felt her heart skip at the sight of the man moving and firing around like that. Why are the good ones always gay? 

In a record time Kapkan exited the maze of wooden panels. On the digital clock overhead IQ read his amazing time. Not even Blitz was able to do it that quickly. But when the Russian looked up at it, he didn't seem to be amazed at all. 

"Blyat." Kapkan cursed and slammed the rifle back in the rack. Up in the observation room, Glaz was laughing and babbling over the ear piece in Russian. Kapkan answered him, and even though IQ couldn't understand it, it didn't sound nice. It didn't stop Glaz from laughing even more, though. 

"Kapkan?" IQ called over and quickly went down into the training area to meet him. Kapkan jerked his face in her direction, visibly annoyed. The murderous look in his eyes startled her slightly: it was the look of a man who could kill right then, right there. His chest heaved heavily as he breathed, his whole body still tense from the training. 

"What do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?" Kapkan snapped at her. 

IQ had to gather all her courage to look into the cold blue eyes that pierced her from under his hood while the man was obviously not in the mood to talk right now. 

"I just wanted to ask you if you know whether Fuze is sick or not?" She asked him quickly, better to finish this conversation as soon as possible. 

"Fuze?" Kapkan cocked an eyebrow. 

"Yes, Jäger said he hasn't been in the workshop in days so I thought, maybe he's ill?" She quickly added. 

"Jäger?" Kapkan asked now, the look in his eyes suddenly changing to amused. He pulled the shawl that covered the lower half of his face down and there IQ saw his well-known smirk. So handsome. "Jäger said that?" 

"Yes..." IQ answered, slightly taken aback by his sudden interest. "He's been sitting around all day in our living room, saying he's bored. He thinks Fuze hates him because he doesn't want to hang out in the workshop anymore. But I said it's probably because Fuze is sick, right?" She looked at Kapkan, and shivered slightly as his smirk widened. "Jäger is pretty upset that he doesn't see Fuze so much anymore." IQ finished hopefully. 

"Is he now? That's... sad." Kapkan folded his arms in front of his chest. "I guess you could say Fuze is sick, yeah. He's been hanging out in our living room as well for the last few days. But don't you worry, tell little Jäger he will see Fuze very soon. He's almost better." 

"O-okay... I'll do that now, then. Bye." IQ said weakly at the wide-grinning man and turned on her heels to leave. 

Correction: why did all the hot men always have to be gay AND creepy? IQ didn't talk to Kapkan often, but usually their conversations were quite normal. Now however, he was freaking her out. Just as she was leaving, she heard Kapkan shouting to Glaz: 

"Enough for today, Timur! I need to find Bandit..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credits to Katargo for the tree scene ;)  
> Sorry if my admiration for Kapkan seemed a bit too much there - I just think he's such a cool character...
> 
> I just wanted to thank you all for reading this story and leaving kudos and comments. I can't even begin to explain how happy they make me and how you all motivate me to keep writing. Thanks a lot! c:


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to post this earlier, however Outbreak happened and here we are.
> 
> So I loved the idea of my fellow writer Grain_Crain in their fic [Tactical Gossips](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12922593/chapters/29529063) ; I highly recommend this fic as the POV is so refreshing and the stories so good!) of the old men discussing their younger teammates together and giving each other advice. So credits to Grain_Crain for the idea! (Sadly Capitao is still running around in Brazil here tho.)
> 
> I hope you all enjoy! c:

_The Spetsnaz quarters, later that day._

Of course Glaz wasn't just going to let Kapkan play with Fuze's new-found feelings. After Kapkan's CQB training he went straight to Fuze in the Spetsnaz quarters, while Kapkan went to look for his idiot friend Bandit. 

Glaz had to talk with Fuze, privately. 

Earlier that week Glaz had heard from Mute and Smoke that Fuze had been getting it on with a tree after seeing the two Brits kissing. It was clear to the Russian that Fuze was sexually frustrated, making Glaz fear for what kind of lover Fuze would be. As much as he liked his comrade, Glaz agreed with Blitz that Jäger needed someone soft and sweet. He had to know how serious Fuze was about this whole thing. 

Glaz knew that Fuze had been spending a lot of time in the Spetsnaz quarters lately. He still worked out and trained, but apart from that, he sat in the living room. Just like now. Glaz found Fuze sitting on the old sofa, his feet on the small table in front of him per tradition and his attention on the old dark-blue Gameboy Advance in his hands. The Uzbek loved the thing. Where the newest handheld consoles were fragile, his gameboy was sturdy and strong. He took it on missions and used it to kill time with, and never once in all the years he's had it, has it broken down. It could survive explosions and it still worked after it got wet. The best handheld gaming device ever made, according to Fuze. 

Fuze pulled his ear phones out when he noticed Glaz sitting down next to him. He moved up the sofa a bit so that his friend could sit next to him but otherwise kept playing unbothered. 

"Did Maxim get a new record?" He asked eventually after the words 'game over' had appeared on the screen. He looked at Glaz, who was so amazed at how well Fuze could hide his feelings. His expression was neutral as usual and nothing led him to believe that Fuze was struggling with his emotions. 

"Nope, he was 2 seconds slower." Glaz chuckled at the memory of earlier that afternoon. Fuze laughed with him and switched off his gameboy. He put it next to him on the sofa and seemed to be lost in thought for a while. Staring into space, Fuze apparently didn't notice he was biting his dirty finger nails. 

"Don't do that." Glaz knocked Fuze's hand away gently. Fuze sighed, and Glaz thought it was the right moment to start the subject. "C'mon Shuhrat, what's up?" 

"Nothing's up." Fuze answered coldly. 

"I've heard about what happened in the interrogation room, what Kapkan and Bandit exposed you to..." Glaz wasn't going to give up so easily. "How do you feel now?" 

"I'm okay." The man next to him replied curtly. 

"I don't mean that. How do you really feel? About the story Bandit told you?" Glaz pushed on. Fuze was so stubborn. 

"It was a gay porn." Fuze bit. 

"I know that. So how do you feel about it?" Glaz stayed calm. It was best to talk about this as if it's perfectly normal – which in fact, it is. But not to Fuze, who never had any real feelings in the first place, and had probably never expected them to be gay. 

Fuze just shrugged and hugged himself absent-mindedly, as if he suddenly felt cold. 

"It's not going to help if you keep running away from it Shuhrat." 

"It will. I'll get over it." 

"No you won't." Glaz shook his head and smiled. "I heard today that Jäger misses you." 

Glaz noticed Fuze's body tense up before he took a shaky breath. He closed his eyes for a moment and opened them again while he tried to take a hold on himself. "So what?" He then replied coldly, sounding both hostile and aggressive. 

Knowing he was supposed to be careful now that Fuze was getting ready to punch his mouth shut, Glaz pushed on anyway. He knew the only way to get Fuze to talk, was to face him with the facts."He thinks you don't want to hang out with him anymore because you hate him." 

"I don't hate him!" Fuze snapped desperately and looked at Glaz wide-eyed. "I... I just can't stand to be close to him at the moment. I can't bare it." Fuze held his head in his hands and let his fingers run through his dark locks. 

"Why do you not allow yourself the happiness you deserve?" Glaz asked him softly. 

Fuze sat with his head in his hands, elbows resting on his knees as he tried to breath. The question had knocked the air out of his lungs. Deep in his heart he knew that being with Jäger would make him happy. But it all seemed wrong to him. "I'm scared." 

The Uzbek jumped a little when he felt Glaz' warm hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "Don't be." Glaz said, and felt Fuze's body shaking underneath his hand. "Just go back to the things as they were before. Go back to the workshop, work with Jäger again and be his friend. In time you will see how things work out. Give it time, alright?" 

"It'll be a waste of time..." Fuze muttered and tried to get up to leave, but Glaz pulled him back on the sofa by his shoulder. 

"Stop running away. Face Jäger like a man." Glaz suddenly said sternly. "Make it up to him. He's now upset because of you. That's not what you want, is it?" 

Fuze felt himself shaking his head. "Alright, alright..." He sighed annoyed, more to make Glaz shut up than to agree he wanted to talk to Jäger again. On the one side he wanted nothing more than things to go back to normal and he wanted to be friends with Jäger again. On the other side, he was scared. Still, he had to admit that making Jäger feel bad wasn't what he wanted either. He supposed he could try to go back to the workshop and hang out with Jäger again... He just had to hide his feelings for him for now. Fuze looked at Glaz, who smiled at him. He found himself smiling back faintly, and a weight fell off his shoulders. "This is so weird." Never had he ever thought he would talk about his feelings. It was so unlike him, and Fuze felt strange. 

Glaz laughed before his face turned serious again. He still looked at the man next to him. "You'll be good for him though, won't you?" 

Fuze was a bit taken aback by the question and it took him a while before he answered. "I know I'm probably not the most careful person..." 

Glaz nodded immediately. 

"… But, I don't know. It's different with him. I feel this strange urge to protect him and care for him. Weird right?" Fuze finished and laughed nervously. He hated throwing all his feelings on the table like this. It felt so unnatural but at the same time it relieved him to finally talk about his problems with someone. He trusted Glaz and appreciated his help. "No one will know about this talk, alright?" Fuze quickly said, sounding a bit more aggressive than he meant to. 

"Of course, of course." Glaz nodded. Best not to get on this man's nerves. "It will stay between us." Fuze seemed to be satisfied with his answer, because he nodded and picked his gameboy up again. He continued playing as if they hadn't just had a heartfelt conversation, but Glaz decided to leave him be. He had told the Uzbek man to give it time, and that's exactly what he was doing now... Glaz left him there in the living room as he searched for the one person he had to speak to now: Blitz. 

 

\-- 

_The coffee machine, down in the hall on the ground floor, the next morning._

"Morning Gilles." Thatcher grumbled when he noticed the broad GIGN operator approaching him. Without looking, he pressed one of the buttons on the coffee machine. It immediately began pouring his tea while the British operator was greeted by Montagne. Thatcher didn't even need to look at the machine to make sure he pressed the right button; he drank its disgusting tea whenever the canteen was closed after breakfast, lunch or dinner. Tea, along with a good old bourbon was what kept the old man going. 

"Morning Mike, alright?" Montagne waited for Thatcher to take his tea before he placed another cup in the machine. 

"Could be a million pounds better, you?" Thatcher joked as he poured milk in his black tea. 

"Fine, I've already been down to the range." Montagne said and instructed the machine to make him a coffee. While both men waited for the machine, Montagne asked casually: "How are your boys doing?" 

"Out of their wits they are, those idiots." Thatcher shook his head as he stirred in his cup. 

"How come?" Montagne asked him, taking his coffee from the machine. As the older, more responsible operators in the base, Montagne and Thatcher often shared what the 'young folk' of their teams were up to and gave each other advice. 

Thatcher and Montagne started to walk slowly and aimlessly, nipping at their drinks. It was a nice morning, the rain from last night was still on the windows but the warm autumn sun shining through the pearls of water made for a warm, cosy feeling. Many of the operators had started training right after their breakfasts, some even before, and a few of them had been sent away on a mission. That was only a small mission in Belgium, a friendly country nearby, but nonetheless an important one of course. For the mission, Sledge, Rook, Doc, Glaz and Mute had been chosen. The team had left yesterday and was expected to return within a day or two. 

Thatcher hadn't started training yet. And even now, as he walked with Montagne and drank his tea, he already knew he wouldn't be up for much today. Maybe he could work on his EMP grenades instead of training for once, and have a day off. 

"They think there's something going on between Fuze and Jäger." Thatcher snorted at how ridiculous the whole idea was. 

"Fuze and Jäger?" Montagne repeated, as if he was deciding how likely a relationship between the two could be. 

Thatcher nodded. "It started with those two bloody rascals really, Kapkan and Bandit. I caught them in interrogation room 2 when I was collecting some files I left there earlier when we interrogated that informant." 

Montagne remembered interrogating the informant together with Thatcher a week ago. It had been a man claiming he possessed information on a next attack by the White Masks, but after some thorough interrogation, the two veterans had decided the informant was lying and knew nothing. The man had been given a warning, and was released. 

"Well, there they were, the pranksters. Sitting in the observation room, talking to those poor bastards in the interrogation room. Fuze and Jäger looked very uncomfortable and out of place, and of course I punished the two little devils for breaking into rooms where they had no business." Thatcher continued. 

"Seems fair." Montagne commented before he asked: "What were they doing?" 

"They tried to convince me they were doing ‘it’ for the greater good; to get Fuze and Jäger together. Well, if you ask me Giles, Shoe is anything but gay. I've always had my doubts about Jäger, but Fuze sure as hell doesn't swing that way." Thatcher talked resolutely. "So I took Fuze with me to the SAS quarters and gave him some of my old porn magazines. Get that boy to realise it's not men that he wants, but women, bloody hell." 

Montagne nodded understandingly. He had borrowed those magazines from Thatcher before and knew it was quality stuff. 

"But," Thatcher held up his finger. "once Fuze left, my boys got angry with me. Well, Sledge wasn't around, but Mute was furious. Smoke seemed to think it was a good joke. Turns out they are in this whole conspiracy as well. Who would have ever thought my boys would join forces with those two idiots?" Throwing away his cup as he and Montagne reached the front door, they went outside. Thatcher lit up a cigar and Montagne just stuffed his hands in his pockets. He had been a smoker long ago, but had decided to stop when it had affected his physical abilities rather badly. 

"Fuze and Jäger..." Montagne said again, wondering if those two opposite characters could ever come to a relationship. "I agree with you on that boy Jäger, he's most definitely gay. But Fuze, I wonder..." 

"Is this whole bloody base gay?" Thatcher grumbled as he took the cigar from his mouth. "Isn't there one man here that likes boobs?" 

Montagne laughed at his question, rested his back against the cold, wet wall of the building and stared into the distance. "Time will tell, my friend. Time will tell..." 

Little did Montagne and Thatcher know that the one who had already figured it out was Fuze, and the one who still had no idea was Jäger... 

 

\-- 

_GSG9 quarters, later that week_

"… and now we will see if the improvements we implemented will work out the way I wanted. As I said, the range should have been doubled and the ADS should be at least one millisecond faster! I know, that doesn't sound like much, but it might just be that one millisecond a grenade needs to explode. My initial designs for the upgrade were good, but Fuze said..." 

Blitz was barely able to suppress a yawn. He was happy to have the old, cheerful Jäger back, but he could do with some quiet right now. His best friend had been talking his ears off his head the last couple of days, that grumpy, bored mood long forgotten. IQ, who sat in the living room as well trying to read a book, shared a friendly, sympathetic look with Blitz. 

Things were as they were before again between Jäger and Fuze. They spent hours in the workshop, but that was it. Work out and practise usually happened in their own teams again, and both Fuze and Jäger seemed to be content with that. Jäger totally bought the lie that Fuze had been too ill to come to the workshop and had had to stay inside the Spetsnaz quarters for a few days. However, Blitz knew the Uzbek operator now lived with a secret. A few days ago, Glaz came to him and nervously told about a very private conversation between himself and Fuze. He had promised not to tell anyone about it so Blitz was supposed to keep his mouth shut, but he found it quite funny to see how a silly love game Bandit and Kapkan had started was beginning to turn into something real. Much more real than they had thought. 

"Elias, are you even listening?" Jäger asked, obviously upset that his best friend wasn't as interested in tech as he was. It was really a hobby he had only started to develop more in the large workshop of the Hereford Head Quarters. The small workshop at the GSG9 base in Berlin had never interested him much, but he liked to spend hours in their current one. 

"No." Blitz answered guiltily and chuckled. Jäger was on the brink of scolding him for his disinterest when Bandit barged in. He threw a parcel on Jäger’s lap and slouched down on the sofa beside IQ, who moved out of his reach immediately with an annoyed look on her face. 

"Piss off Dom." She said, keeping her book out of his reach. 

"I'm not even doing anything!" Bandit cried out. 

"Yet." IQ answered. 

"What's this?" Jäger asked Bandit suspiciously and pointed at the box on his lap. It had his name written on the label, along with the address of the Head Quarters. 

"Just a parcel that came in the post for you. Jeez, just because I handed it to you doesn't mean it’s something dangerous." Bandit rolled his eyes. "Anyone want to come down to the communal living room to play some cards? Only Pulse, Castle and Thermite are in there now but I'd rather drink tea with Thatcher than play games with those boring fuckers." 

Jäger threw a glance at Blitz and only after a reassuring nod from his best friend did Jäger start to open the parcel. IQ threw her book on the coffee table and stood up. 

"Yeah fine, I'll come. I'm bored out of my mind without anything to do lately..." And with that she went ahead to the living room, making sure to avoid Bandit as she made her way to the door. Bandit looked at Blitz innocently, mouthing 'I'm not even doing anything'. The door slammed close and Blitz threw his boyfriend a stern look. He'd have to find out what he had done later. Because now Jäger cried out. 

Blitz looked into the box and saw some fabric, and even Bandit seemed to be interested in what Jäger had received, although he pretended he didn't give a fuck. Jäger read through the note that had been on top of the fabric with tears in his eyes, Blitz noticed. 

"It's from grandad, he passed away..." Jäger's voice trailed off when he put the note away and took the fabric out of the box. It seemed to be some kind of uniform, complete with boots and a helmet not unlike his own. "He gave me his World War 2 uniform!" Jäger cried out excitedly. Blitz threw Bandit a worried look at that, but Bandit looked more amused than shocked. 

"We have to call you 'mein Führer' then?" Bandit tried to hold in his laugh, but Jäger didn't even notice his mocking. 

"Flying Ace..." Jäger mumbled affectionately while he admired the rough fabric of the uniform. 

"Why don't you try it on?" Blitz realised the uniform was an emotional memory of his grandad, and probably nothing to worry about. Jäger stared at him like that was the best idea ever and already started taking his clothes off. 

"Fucking hell Marius!" Bandit grinned. "If you want an audience for your strip tease I know exactly who to get." 

Blitz was unhappy about his mischievous smirk, but Jäger seemed too lost in thought to notice any sexual innuendo from the prankster. When Blitz noticed Bandit was having a little too much fun watching Jäger undress, he grabbed Bandit's hand and dragged him out of the room flustered. When they were alone in the corridors, Blitz pushed Bandit into the wall and ordered him in a hushed voice: "Stop bringing up Fuze at every opportunity you get. We have to give them some space." 

Bandit pouted and gave his boyfriend puppy eyes. "They will never find out on their own Elias. Maxim and I had such a good idea to get them back together after Fuze got 'ill', but Glaz had to ruin it and now they're friends again..." Bandit sighed. 

"Whatever plan that was, get it out of your head." Blitz said sternly, giving Bandit an extra push in the chest to tell him to _back off_. He left Bandit there standing against the wall and walked along the halls to the communal living room. 

Bandit immediately caught up with him, however, his usual smirk back on his face. It seemed impossible to upset or impress Bandit with words. Whenever Blitz told him _not_ to do something, Bandit seemed to set his mind on doing it anyway and fucking things up even worse than he had intended. At other times, Bandit seemed to be more down to earth and listened to his boyfriend. Although when it was a prank Bandit had prepared with Kapkan, there was no stopping the two. 

When Blitz and Bandit came to the living room, there were far more people there than just Castle and Thermite. In fact, those two were NOT there. Apparently IQ had brought out all the fun people to play cards with, and she sat on a sofa with Kapkan and Fuze, shuffling cards. Around the table sat Twitch, Smoke, Ash, and Tachanka. Pulse was there too, not one of the 'fun people', but he insisted on playing with them. Thermite and Castle had just left, complaining about the noise they were making. IQ waved at Bandit and Blitz as they entered, showing them the card game they would play. 'Cards against humanity'. 

Bandit eagerly rushed towards the table and pushed Twitch and Ash, who sat next to each other on one of the other sofas, aside so he was in the best position around the table. This was one of his favourite games that he almost always won. Dark and sexual humour were his specialties. Yes, contrary to popular belief, German people are actually funny. 

Blitz shook his head and followed the prankster towards the group. He sat down, and everybody took cards. The game started. 

Half the jokes were distasteful, but the ops were in a good mood and could laugh at anything. Really these times were the best; when they could have fun and be carefree. It almost felt like they were normal people again, who didn’t have to risk their lives to safe that of others. Others who never even knew the names of the heroes who saved them, nor even the fact that they had been saved. All information was confidential, the operators were pros. So the time they got off work, even off training, was bliss. They could hang out together in friendly vibes, formalities long forgotten. 

“During sex I like to think about…” Smoke was reading out the black card while the others searched their white answer cards for the best pun. The operators giggled to themselves, all thinking they had the best card. 

Bandit won, but he received a playful slap on the cheek from Blitz for it. His answer card ‘pretending to care' had got the whole group in a fit of laughter. They all took a new card and the game continued. 

“When your man is going down on you, you surprise him with…” Twitch read the black card out loud, her cheeks flushed. Everybody handed her a white card and she read them out loud too. 

‘Inappropriate yodelling' and ‘a saxophone solo' were tied for the first place. Twitch had a hard time choosing because of her giggles, but in the end chose the yodelling card. Another point for Ash. The game continued when everybody controlled their laughs again. 

After a while Montagne, who had been reading a newspaper in one of the comfortable chairs a good while away, gave the group a look before he got up and left the communal living room. Montagne was a serious man who of course liked a good laugh every now and then, but the humour of Cards against humanity was not his thing. Besides, he couldn't really get any reading done with the group laughing every ten seconds. Ash was in tears, laughing on Smoke's shoulder, who sat on the arm rest of the sofa. The Brit shook with giggles. Twitch laughed more lady-like, with her hand in front of her mouth. IQ always brought her hands to her face, as if to hide her flushed cheeks she got from laughing so much. Blitz laughed out loud at every joke, never ashamed of the merry sound. Kapkan elbowed Fuze in the ribs every time he laughed, making the Uzbek man curse at him in Russian although he always laughed along. Pulse smiled and giggled along although half of the time he didn’t actually seem to understand the joke. Bandit sat smugly and only grinned as everybody laughed at the genius cards he always showed. And Tachanka, Tachanka laughed the loudest of all. 

The group was having a merry time, for once not having to stress about missions and the White Masks when the door opened. The others were making too much noise to hear someone entered, and Blitz only noticed his best friend stood in the living room when he saw a black shape out of the corner of his eye. He turned around in his seat and looked at Jäger. 

The uniform definitely looked old and aged, but somehow it suited Jäger's figure very well. The helmet was one of a pilot, much like his current one apart from the goggles and the fabric on top of it. The moss green coat with its red edges and large buttons on the sleeves made Jäger an impressive sight. The belt around his waist and the beaten leather pouches draped over his shoulders added to that handsome look. The black leather gloves somehow suited him much better than his normal ones. The slightly darker green trousers were baggy, which would have looked messy under such a formal coat, but Jäger pulled it off great. It gave him a casual, don't-mess-with-me look. But the strangest, yet not awful, part of his new uniform were the brown knee-length leather boots. Along with the rest of the uniform they made Jäger look cool and tough. 

However it was very obviously a WW1 uniform, the perfection and neatness of it vouched for that. It was an uniform that radiated authority and respect, but one that also carried bad memories to survivors of WW1. 

While Blitz made nice comments on Jäger's uniform and Ash, Twitch, Pulse and IQ looked slightly worried at the WW1 outfit and Bandit, Smoke and Tachanka laughed and admired Jäger for having the balls to walk into the living room wearing that uniform, further along the table Kapkan nudged Fuze once again. This time however, it wasn’t because of a joke in the game. It was to make sure Fuze didn’t miss a single piece of the uniform on Jäger's fine body. The rest made comments and weak compliments on Jäger, who answered their questions where the uniform came from and what his granddad had done in the army at the time, so Kapkan could talk to Fuze in hushed voices. 

“Well well, would you look at that….” Kapkan nodded at Jäger, although that wasn’t really necessary. The German already had Fuze's full attention, his expression surprised and curious. Surprised, at how well the old uniform suited Jäger, and curious at the possibilities... When he noticed Kapkan reading his face like a book, however, Fuze quickly pulled a blank face although he couldn’t help the flush spreading over his cheeks. 

“What.” Fuze didn’t ask, but demand of the wide-grinning Russian. 

Kapkan licked his lips. “Would you like me to ask him to turn around? So you can see how well his ass looks in those trousers?” He talked softly, his voice low and a naughty look in his eyes. 

“Fuck off.” Fuze tried to turn away, to hide his burning cheeks and to stop stating at Jäger, but he found he couldn't. His eyes were glued on the smaller form of the German, who looked so good in his grandfather's uniform. Fuze had never seen him so attractive. He felt a great longing to _touch_. Jäger posed for the rest of the group, who were now in awe of the piece of history, unaware of Kapkan’s teasing and Fuze’s desire. The innocence of him was exactly what made the Uzbek want to drag him to his room and strip him out of that uniform slowly, piece by piece. He wanted to defile Jäger's innocence, ravage that untouched body of his. 

Fuze shook his head. These were thought he shouldn’t be having. He was so fond of the German, so happy to have him as a friend, he couldn’t think about him this way, right? Why did he care about Jäger and wanted to protect him on one side, while on the other side he longed for physical contact? He would probably be too rough for Jäger, too hungry and needy while the cheerful, innocent man needed someone sweet and patient. How could Fuze want the man who is his complete opposite? 

Kapkan moved ever closer to his flustered friend. “If he keeps posing like that, he might as well bend over to give you a good look huh?” He suggested teasingly, giving Fuze food for thought. Perverted thought. 

Fuze’s pants were starting to become uncomfortably tight. “Shut the fuck up, Maxim.” Fuze bit in a whisper. At that same moment, Jäger looked over at Fuze, whom he still considered nothing more than a friend, and was probably hoping to see a smile. Instead, he was met by Fuze's red face which was contorted in concentration. Concentration to lose that boner, of course, but Jäger took Fuze's expression for an angry one. The German turned away quickly, hurt. Coincidentally, that meant Jäger turned his back on Fuze and Kapkan, who finally got the sight they wanted. 

Kapkan made a noise of approval, saying: “Now Shuhrat, imagine that ass bend over in front of you, and I'm sure your imagination will do the rest.” 

It was a mere whisper but Fuze turned to look at Kapkan wide-eyed, unable to be angry now that he was turned on so much. However, they were still sitting with the group and the others were bound to notice Kapkan and Fuze were having a conversation of their own. And they did. Fuze's eyes slipped past Kapkan's smirking, triumphant face and looked directly into the curious eyes of IQ. As their eyes locked onto each other's, Fuze saw that she understood. In one instant, she linked Fuze's flustered face and Kapkan's low, teasing voice to Fuze enjoying seeing Jäger dressed up like this. Fuze didn't even move his mouth, but she understood better what was going on than Fuze did himself. She looked shocked and a flush spread across her cheeks much like it had done while they were playing, but she didn’t say anything. She quickly looked away again, at Jäger, before she shot Ash a look. 

Jäger took a seat within hearing range while he joined the card game. The merry ambiance was back and everyone was having a good time again. Kapkan stopped playing though, and so did Fuze. Fuze couldn’t keep his eyes of Jäger. The uniform, the boots, the gloves… It was his perfect fantasy. In a hushed voice, Kapkan spoke to him in Russian so that the others wouldn’t understand. 

“He’s so close now, Shuh.” 

“For the love of God, please shut your whore mouth Maxim.” Fuze exasperated. The unwanted boner was bad enough, but motivating Fuze's dirty thoughts was too much. 

Kapkan chuckled. “What if you could stop time now Shuh? Stop time, freeze us all and have your way with the boy. No one would know. No one would see how you rip off that cute uniform and ravish his innocent body…” 

“Stop…” Fuze breathed angrily. 

“Oh, can’t you almost feel his ass hole on the tip of your dick?” Kapkan continued teasing. “Or hear his moans as you take him? Not going to lie, he’s got a nice butt.” 

Right at that moment a sound could be heard over the intercom, signaling that the canteen had started serving dinner. The operators got up and while still talking to Jäger, most of them left. IQ immediately went to Ash and Twitch, who had been sitting too far away to gossip to, and chatting quietly they left the living room. After giving Fuze a wink, Kapkan left with Tachanka. Blitz left with Smoke, Jäger and Bandit, while Pulse tagged along after them trying his best to get involved in whatever conversation they were having. Fuze was the last one to leave due to him trying to control the raging erection in his trousers. 

With his head in his hands, Fuze tried to slow down his breathing. He now knew he wouldn’t be able to get over Jäger. He could lie to himself and say he could, but he wanted the German. The question was: how? Jäger seemed quite fond of him as well – pff, what weirdo was fond of _him_ , the one cold operator no one actually liked, that everybody rather avoided? But was he gay as well? And would he like Fuze as much as Fuze liked Jäger? 

The Uzbek got up and kicked at the old sofa in frustration. Fuck all these childish emotions, fuck that stupid feeling of butterflies in his stomach and fuck his mind. How did he, the careless, dangerous Fuze, end up in this situation where he suddenly had _feelings_? He blamed sexual frustration for them, but knew deep inside that wasn't true. He still wanted Jäger just as much as before he released himself every night he had been overcome with want for the German. Fuze wished he could rip out the part of his heart that ached for his German friend. He didn't want to have these feelings anymore, he wanted to be cold and emotionless like before. But his feelings for Jäger had settled deep in him, and like a leech, they wouldn't let go.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which shit is about to go down, with a lot of drama and some fluff.  
> First part of this chapter was inspired by the disarming techniques in Assassin's Creed btw.  
> Not so happy with this one, but I hope you all enjoy nonetheless c:

_The gym, two days later_

A fist connected with his stomach, once, twice, thrice. He doubled over in pain. Then the fist hit his jaw and he fell to the ground. Completely beaten up and out of air, he didn't quite have the energy yet to get up. He felt the pain soon after; a pulsing sensation that he was sure he would feel for a long time after this training session. Carefully he felt his jaw and counted his teeth. At least he wouldn't have any lasting damage. Probably. The knife that had been in his hand only moments before was now in the hands of his opponent, who turned to face the group surrounding them. 

"And that's how I disarm an enemy. Any suggestions?" Blitz asked the men and women sitting on the floor. They were in the Base's gym, gathered around the mats on which Blitz had just given Pulse a good beating. He could have been less rough, sure, but they were tough soldiers and should be able to handle injuries like these just fine. 

"Personally I would take a more careful approach." Montagne spoke. 

Blitz got off the mats and gestured at it for Montagne. “All yours.” 

The Frenchman stood up and took his place on the mats. "Who?" He asked for a volunteer. IQ got up with her most charming smile and joined the Frenchman while Blitz settled himself next to Bandit, who gave him a satisfied grin. Pulse scrambled back up and staggered to his FBI SWAT mates, who gave him concerned looks. Ash checked his jaw quickly before Montagne would continue today's training. 

Part of SIX was that the operators were supposed to learn from each other. Even though they preferred to keep to the training they had had in their respective special forces and always argued which country was the best military-wise, they couldn't deny that they could learn a thing or two from each other. 

IQ picked up the practise knife and faced Montagne, who stood crouched down slightly so that he was ready to strike. His feet were planted into the ground firmly. He faced IQ with his left shoulder, his hands held up at the ready. The group fell silent as they watched the two operators on the mat. Montagne beckoned for IQ to attack him, which she did. 

With her right hand IQ shoved the blade towards Montagne wildly, aiming to stab him with the blunt blade but knowing she wouldn't get that far. Montagne let IQ get close, but not too close. With the reflexes of a snake he knocked her arm out of the way with his left hand, grabbed her wrist with his right and took the knife from her. He released his grip on IQ, but she was out of balance and stumbled on. Montagne kicked her in the back with his knee gently, just to give her that extra little push with which she would fall. And fall she did. Flat on the mat. It all happened within a second and IQ was disarmed. She looked around at Montagne, surprised to see the knife in his hand which she had held only a second ago. 

"How is that more careful?" Blitz objected. 

"I got her back facing me, and got her to the floor. She can't come back at me so quickly, giving me the precious time to get a good grip on that knife." Montagne explained. 

Blitz just snorted, firmly believing his way was more effective. Montagne walked over to IQ and helped her up, asking if she was alright. With a blush she nodded and quickly joined her GSG9 teammates again on one side of the mats. 

"Next." Bandit yelled annoyed. He hated learning from the others because he felt they couldn't have better tactics than he did. 

Everybody looked around while they waited for the next operator to show his or her best disarming skills. Before Blitz and Montagne, Ash and Thatcher had already showed their skills, so everybody looked at the Spetsnaz operators expectantly. However, the Spetsnaz operators weren't keen on sharing their secrets, so they remained seated for a while before Fuze finally got up with a sigh. 

"Watch and learn." Fuze strolled over to the mats casually while everybody now looked at each other in panic. Especially Sledge, who clenched his jaw. Nobody wanted to volunteer if it was Fuze who would beat them to pieces, as this was a training in which they couldn't defend themselves against his aggressive fists. Not even the other Spetsnaz operators wanted to risk their skin. 

Bandit nudged Jäger, who sat next to him. "Hey, why don't you help your friend out? He'll appreciate it." Bandit whispered with a mischievous look on his face. Jäger looked with wide eyes at the big Uzbek operator standing in front of him on the mat, and could already feel the bruises. But nobody else was getting up and Bandit was right saying Fuze was his friend and would appreciate his help. And thus, Jäger stood up and walked over to the mat cautiously, picking up the knife on his way. 

Fuze must have noticed him coming over out of the corner of his eye, for he turned to face his opponent with that blank, careless expression of his. However, the cold stare turned uneasy when he noticed it was Jäger making his way towards him, and for a second Fuze didn't seem to know what to do. He didn't want to hurt Jäger. Fists clenching and unclenching, he stared at the German who now stepped on the mat, and wondered why he volunteered to be beaten up by him. Jäger was probably doing this as his friend, wanting to make him happy. Well, he won't be fucking happy when he's hit Jäger... He would just have to be a little more careful than usual. _A lot more. Not a little._ Fine. 

"Are you going to stare the knife out of his hand?" Thatcher's rough voice called over, impatient. "I have places to be, if you don't mind." 

Fuze shook his head to get his thoughts back to the here and now, and approached the Jäger. He took the same position as Montagne had done, but instead of looking like a snake that is about to strike, he looked like a wolf about to pounce on its innocent prey. Jäger's face was confident, but Fuze could see fear in his eyes. His tech buddy was afraid Fuze would hurt him. No, he _knew_ Fuze would hurt him, _knew_ Fuze wouldn't go easy on him even though they were friends, and that realisation made Fuze's heart sink. He didn't want Jäger to be afraid of him. 

The Uzbek operator beckoned for Jäger to attack him and when he did, the real Fuze was back. Not the one holding back, but the one made for killing. The careless one, the one who couldn't care less if he had blown up Sledge that day or not. It was in his nature. And Jäger was about to experience that. 

Like IQ, Jäger struck with his right hand, which was swiftly knocked away by Fuze's excellent reflexes. Then both of Fuze's hands gripped Jäger's wrist, one hand on his fingers and the other keeping an iron grip on his arm. He spun around so that Jäger was behind him, threw his head back and effectively hit Jäger on the face with his hard skull. In shock, Jäger let go of the knife and staggered back, reaching for his nose immediately. His face was white as a sheet and when he looked up, Fuze spun back around, reaching his arm back and obviously ready to throw the knife. Jäger shrunk when Fuze seemed to start to make an attempt at throwing the knife right into his head, but saw the Uzbek operator catching himself right in time. 

Bloodlust gone by the sight of Jäger, tears in his eyes and blood on his hands, the other Fuze returned. Had he really almost thrown the knife at Jäger? Had his animal side really just tried to take Jäger's life like he was an enemy he didn't give a fuck about? Fuze was shocked by his own actions. His eyes were wide as he dropped the knife, stepping away from it hurriedly. He had let himself go. 

"Shit, Jäger." Fuze mumbled, approaching the German. But Jäger stumbled backwards when Fuze tried to get closer, afraid he would hurt him again. Blitz quickly stepped between them and, with a hateful look at Fuze, helped Jäger out of the gym. Doc followed them, shouting instructions at Blitz for Jäger's injured nose. 

The rest of the group started to leave too because it was obvious now the training had ended. They threw odd glances at the Uzbek operator, but he was used to them. What he wasn't used to, however, was Jäger being afraid of him. Jäger had never looked at him that way, and it hurt Fuze in a non-physical way. It was an emotion he wasn't used to and couldn't place. 

"Dude, did you just try to fucking kill him?" Glaz' voice suddenly sounded behind Fuze, and he turned around. His Spetsnaz comrades were still there, supporting him, but looking at him cautiously. 

"I can't control myself. I didn't mean to -" Fuze started and quickly shut up, feeling ashamed of himself for the first time in his life. 

"Interesting way you have to get in his pants, I must say. Not sure if it's working though." Kapkan joked, and Fuze shot him a filthy look. Tachanka punched Kapkan in the arm and told him to 'shut the fuck up'. All Fuze could do was stare at the door Jäger, Blitz and Doc had gone through, scolding himself inwardly for what he had done. 

"I don't like many of the others here either, Shuhrat, but to be so aggressive... That knife couldn't have killed him, we all know that, but really dude..." Tachanka's attempt at giving Fuze a speech on acting responsibly was rather weak. 

"What Chanka here is trying to say," Kapkan, who was a lot more direct, took over. "is, calm your tits and control that anger. Can't have you running around threatening everyone around here man." 

"Especially if the person in question is the one guy in this base you have feelings for." Glaz added, raising his eyebrows expectantly at his Uzbek comrade. Fuze winced at the mention of 'feelings'. Ashamed, he looked at Kapkan and Tachanka. But instead of seeing them judge him, Fuze only found sympathy in their faces. He sighed, uncomfortable with talking about his feelings with these three but at the same time feeling appreciative as they supported him. 

"I'm gonna go to the workshop." Fuze said uneasily. 

"What? No Shuh, go to Jäger and apologise!" Glaz blurted out in surprise. 

Fuze shook his head. "I can't. I need..." He started, but broke off. His head was a mess and his feelings chaos. He needed to do something with his hands, needed to calm down and needed time to think. He walked off, leaving his Spetsnaz friends dumbfounded as he went to the changing rooms, took a quick shower and made his way to the workshop. 

Forget Jäger. Please. 

 

\-- 

_Doc's office, meanwhile..._

"So Marius... What do you think of Fuze?" Blitz tried to ask his best friend casually, as if Fuze hadn't just given him a nose bleed. Doc had left them in his office while he tended to a more serious injury in his operation room next door that had suddenly come in as an emergency. As the nose bleed was quite severe, Doc did want Jäger to stay for observation. And Blitz stayed with him for support. 

Sitting there holding a tissue under his still-bleeding nose, Jäger struggled to look at Blitz and gauge what his friend meant. "He's a bit..." Jäger's voice sounded nasal, and it almost made Blitz laugh. "Reckless." Jäger concluded. 

"You can say that." Blitz sighed. He had more and more doubts about getting Fuze to be Jäger's boyfriend, but it was too late now. Fuze was in the game they were all playing, the love game. 

"He's nice when I'm alone with him though. I just think he doesn't know how to behave when he's around others." Jäger continued matter-of-factly. 

Blitz looked up at him, baffled. The fact that Fuze had just given him a nose bleed apparently didn’t affect Jäger's view on their friendship. He must have already gotten over the shock of what just happened, for the fear in his eyes was gone. Unbelievable. “You think he’s nice? You’re in Doc's office because of him, Marius.” 

Jäger seemed to be thinking this over for a while. “I was scared of him, then… “ He admitted. “Fuze just has a problem controlling his anger. He’s not like that when we're alone.” 

"So what do you two do when you're alone? How is he when he's alone with you?" Blitz was starting to get annoyed with the fact that Jäger wouldn’t see he befriended a maniac. 

Jäger shrugged. "We just work on our gadgets, and on the rare occasion I talk to him outside of the workshop, we discuss what we've been doing in the workshop." He smiled at the thought of it. Blitz nodded slowly, taking in that information. How boring. Just talking about the workshop. How could that make Jäger smile, to just talk about tech with Fuze? 

A relationship between Jäger and Fuze. What would it be based on? Their shared interest in tech. What else? What else did they both have? The only thing they shared, is that they are both awkward with their feelings. Where Fuze seemed to have none, Jäger had lots. How could that ever work out? Blitz worried for his best friend, knowing already that Fuze was reckless enough to break his heart. And was Jäger gay? He didn't seem to have a great interest in their female colleagues, he was kind of feminine and... And what? Maybe Blitz should just ask him...? 

After he and Jäger had been sitting and waiting in silence for a while, staring at the clean white walls of Doc's office, Blitz asked carefully: "Marius, do you think... Do you think there's a chance that..." 

Jäger’s innocent blue eyes looked at him. Blitz wished he could turn back time. This question was awkward and wrong on so many levels, but he had already started it and Jäger looked at him expectantly, still holding a bloodied tissue under his nose. 

"Do you think there's a chance that you're gay?" Blitz finished his sentence quickly, wanting to get it over with. He looked at the floor for a moment, his face flushed and feeling ashamed of asking such a question of his best friend. But he had to know. He looked up at Jäger, finding big eyes gaping back in disbelief. 

_"What?"_ Jäger's voice sounded strange to Blitz. Not angry, not amused, but... confused? 

Unfortunately for Blitz, he would never be able to explain his question. Because then Doc walked back in, his latex gloves and white coat covered in blood that wasn't his own. He removed his mask, revealing a gentle smile. 

"Sorry for keeping you waiting." Doc said cheerfully, throwing away his gloves and putting his coat in a washing bin. "Now, let me get another look at that nose." 

Jäger threw Blitz a look, and Blitz wasn't sure if he looked so white in the face because he was afraid of Doc’s examination, or because of the question he had just been asked... 

 

\-- 

_The workshop, later that day._

Forgetting Jäger was harder than he'd hoped. 

His Matryoska lay in front of him, untouched. His elbows were on the desk, his head in his hands. One of his legs was fidgeting, so much energy in him he couldn't release any other way. His breathing was uneven: when he thought about the German, it came quickly. When he tried to calm himself, it came slowly. But regret weighed heavily on him, and thus Fuze's body was restless, his mind a wreck. 

What had he done? _Hurt Jäger._ Hadn't he told himself to go easy on the German? _Yes._ Why had he lost himself so much then? _Bloodlust, I guess._ Why could he not control that bloodlust? _No idea._ How much had he hurt Jäger physically? _He had given him a nosebleed._ How much had he hurt Jäger emotionally? _Impossible to tell._ And how much had Jäger's hurt face destroyed his own heart? 

More than his skull had destroyed Jäger's nose. No, even better: More than any bullet hitting him, more than any blade cutting his flesh, more than any tough, exhausting training exercise with the army had ever hurt him. Jäger's distrusting, fearful face haunted him even now, as he sat in the peace and quiet of the workshop. No one else was there. And even if they wanted to come in, they saw Fuze through the window in the door and changed their mind. Nobody wanted to be around him, everybody feared him. 

Usually he didn't care. Let them fear him, let them think he was batshit crazy. He loved it, loved how everyone always left him alone. But then he had got to know Jäger in the workshop, that German who was always there but never said a word to him. That German who was so cheerful around his best friend Blitz, but so serious around him. Why couldn't he make Jäger laugh, like Blitz? Why couldn't they have small talk, why did they always have to talk about tech? 

_Because you're antisocial Shuhrat, that's why._

_Right._

How could he ever be with Jäger if he was like this? What's worse, would Jäger ever want to talk to him and work with him again? His mind kept telling him to go to the German and apologise, but he felt too unconfident for that. He felt safe in the workshop and didn't want to leave its peace and quiet. Outside the workshop, there were the others. They would stare at him as if he had murdered one of their own. Not even mentioning how Jäger would stare at him... 

No, it was best if Fuze stayed in here, he decided. And thus his mind continued pondering over what could and couldn't be. 

Fuze didn't even notice the door opening and closing. He didn't even notice a person taking a seat next to him. His mind was racing too much, filled with regret and worry. A soft hand on his shoulder startled him and pulled him out of the abyss he found himself in. 

"Fuze..." A female voice spoke his operator name, taking him back to the here and now. Fuze looked up to see who it was – he could never tell the females apart, they had never been of any interest to him – and saw a gently-smiling Twitch. He looked at her, his expression maybe a bit too hostile. Twitch had come to him when he had thought himself all alone, her intentions unclear. 

Had she come to pity him? Or laugh at his pity? Would she get mad at him for hurting Jäger? 

"Stop kicking yourself over what happened..." Twitch seemed to be looking for words. "You're the only one who can do something about this situation, you know that right?" 

Fuze scanned her face, looking for any ill intentions, but found none. All he saw was a woman who sympathized with him and cared about his emotional state, and probably Jäger's as well. He shrugged, not wanting to talk about his feelings with yet another person. 

"It's pub night again tonight. If I make sure you get a moment to talk to Jäger alone and make things up, will you come?" Twitch offered. 

Her offer got Fuze a bit suspicious. He knew his Spetsnaz comrades and possibly Bandit knew about him and Jäger, but he now wondered how many more people knew. Still, Twitch was a woman and they usually just know such things, or whatever. Her offer was good, though, because the atmosphere at the pub was relaxed and friendly, and he did want to apologise to Jäger... So Fuze shrugged again as if he didn't care and nodded. 

Twitch's smile widened. "Magnifique! Don't worry Fuze, this will all be over before you know it." She winked at him, and left. Fuze wasn't sure what to think. 

Next thing for him to worry about now: how to apologise to Jäger? 

 

\-- 

_The local pub in Hereford, that evening._

Twitch held on to her offer. That night almost everyone was there at the pub, including Jäger. He had been cleared by Doc, his nose nothing more than bruised quite badly. But not broken. That information made him feel a lot more cheerful, and Fuze secretly felt relieved. It would mean Jäger was possibly less angry with him, and it also meant Jäger's handsome face wasn't ruined. _Wait what?_

Now all he could do was wait for Twitch to arrange a private meeting with the German. Fuze sat at the bar with his Spetsnaz friends, Bandit, Twitch, Rook, Mute, Smoke and Sledge, who all shared looks when Fuze wasn't looking. After the disastrous training of that day, they had met each other in the living room. Even Twitch and Rook had been there – although it was more Twitch dragging her boyfriend along because she thought the guys were fucking this up and they needed her help – and so it was decided that Twitch should be the one to save Fuze’s ass this time. She left, with Rook, who was glad to be away of ‘those idiots and their stupid conspiracies’ as he put it. The discussions that followed when they left ended in a lot of shouting, though. Bandit and Kapkan clung on to the belief that they could still fix this disaster, Smoke thought this whole ordeal was _highly_ amusing, Sledge and Tachanka were still debating the fact whether porn really couldn’t turn Fuze on while Mute and Glaz seemed to have the only sort of sophisticated conversation in the room. Glaz kept trying to reassure Mute that Fuze wasn't a violent guy – at least to Jäger – while Mute just shook his head. What had he brought down on that poor German? 

Blitz sat on a sofa with Jäger further in the pub, talking casually and laughing. They all saw Fuze watching them, a sad, longing look in his eyes. Whenever Jäger laughed, Fuze would look away. They wondered why. 

He was jealous of their perfect friendship. 

What Fuze didn't know, was that all the people who sat at the bar at that moment, including Blitz and Castle, all knew about his feelings for Jäger. Even IQ, Thatcher and Montagne had a hunch now. How awkward. 

Kapkan and Bandit kept buying Fuze shots. He looked at them angrily, knowing only too well they were trying to get him drunk because they hoped to see Fuze make a fool of himself in front of Jäger - although the real reason was that they wanted Fuze to be drunk so there was a bigger chance of seeing Fuze make out with Jäger later. Still, Fuze downed the drinks anyway. He was nervous for his talk with Jäger and the drinks helped him forget the whole ordeal. 

Later that evening, when Twitch still hadn't made a move to get Blitz away from Jäger, Fuze noticed in a haze that Pulse joined them. The others were getting drunk as well and they were friendly with Pulse, something they usually wouldn't be. Fuze had long given up to follow their conversations. All his attention was turned to right now, was the figure of the German on that sofa further down the pub. It was busy, so sometimes people obscured his view, but his eyes always found him again. 

Fuze had to admit he had drunk too much. He still knew what he was doing, but he felt his feelings getting worse. Although now it wasn't just worries and regret. Now he felt an obsessive longing for Jäger too, to be with him and to touch him. But those feelings mixed with his feelings of that afternoon, and Fuze found himself to be a mess again. Drinking hadn't helped one bit. 

He felt a hand on his shoulder, looked up and saw Twitch smiling at him while she walked away, towards the sofa where Blitz and Jäger sat. He saw her talking to the two Germans, saw Blitz getting up and talking to Twitch a little distance away from Jäger, saw how Blitz threw him a filthy, distrusting look, saw Twitch trying to calm him down and saw Bandit coming to her aid, distracting his boyfriend away from them all. With his hand in Bandit's, Fuze saw how Blitz followed Bandit into the men's toilets. Although Blitz seemed annoyed, Fuze could tell from the smirk on Bandit's face that following him would be rewarded. 

Fuze shook his head and saw Twitch coming back to the bar, motioning for Fuze to take his chance right now. Fuze nodded hastily and got up, his heart pounding in his chest as he made his way over to Jäger. Unbeknownst to him, the whole bar watched him go. Including Pulse. Fuze told himself to control his feelings, told himself he wasn't behaving like he usually would, but his heart only pounded harder the closer he got to where Jäger sat. He blamed the alcohol rather than his feelings and sat down on the sofa next to the German, probably a bit closer than appropriate for the talk they were about to have. 

"Shuhrat." Jäger blurted out in surprise, looking at Fuze with wide eyes. His obvious German accent whenever he said Fuze's real name never failed to make Fuze smile, but this time, his heart skipped a beat. Especially the fact that the pronunciation was kind of slurred as Jäger had downed a few beers made Fuze want to take him home right now. But he couldn't. No, he had to fix this first. 

Fuze looked at him - no, _stared_ at him, probably for way too long. He raised his hand to touch Jäger's face, to feel his nose and find out for himself if he was alright. Just before he touched Jäger's soft skin, though, his mind seemed to come to the realisation that touching the German right now wasn't a good idea, so he dropped his hand. However, he couldn't control himself saying: "You look great." 

Jäger's face flushed instantly, looking away from the Uzbek operator. He opened his mouth slightly as if to say something, but he was too perplexed and confused to utter any words. 

"I mean, seeing as I gave you a nosebleed earlier..." Fuze realised what he had said wasn't quite registered by Jäger's brains the way he wanted them to, and he felt his own face heat up too. "Sorry about that, by the way..." Fuze added softly, his feelings of longing suddenly replaced by regret again. 

"I-it's alright..." Jäger stuttered immediately, relaxing slightly although the flush on his cheeks remained. 

"I didn't mean to hurt you... You know that, right?" Fuze tried. But he knew Jäger wouldn't understand. He was an aggressive person to all his colleagues, and not even Jäger would realise he did, in fact, have a soft side. He was known for being cold and careless, and Fuze was stupid to think Jäger was an exception. 

"Of course I know." Jäger smiled weakly at his tech buddy. Fuze was surprised - although he wasn't really, it was just the alcohol making him worry too much because he knew Jäger wasn't like all the others – and he found himself smiling back. This was going far better than he had expected, and that encouraged Fuze. "I know you're not like everybody thinks you are. But maybe you should do something about that aggressiveness..." Jäger's voice trailed off. He shrugged and gave Fuze a small smile. 

Fuze nodded slowly with a stupid smile on his face. Jäger was right. He didn't want to hurt Jäger again, so right then and there he silently decided to keep an eye on himself. Control that anger. 

What he couldn't control, however, were his feelings at that moment. Jäger had already forgiven him and he was so close to the German, so painfully close. He knew it would be wrong right now to touch him, to lean in closer and taste his lips with his own. Then why was he doing exactly that? His head was a mess: because of the alcohol, all of his feelings were playing up. His fondness of Jäger made him want to get closer, his shame for hurting Jäger made him want to keep an appropriate distance. And his lust for Jäger made him do what he was doing. 

Finally Fuze dared to place his hand on Jäger's cheek. His calloused thumb ran over his nose gently, feeling soft skin and no broken bones. Jäger's eyes got bigger again, but he didn't turn away. He just looked at Fuze like a trapped bunny, although he wasn't trapped. He could move out of the Uzbek's reach, but he didn't. That encouraged Fuze even more. 

From Jäger's nose Fuze moved his thumb to his slightly parted lips. Soft as the rest of his skin, and red as blood. Fuze ran his thumb over them, craving them. Still, Jäger didn't turn away. He just sat there, his cheeks bright red and confusion in his eyes. But he looked at Fuze, trusting him, and allowed him to lean in. 

Fuze could feel his hot breath on his own lips, which came quickly through those parted lips. He could smell the beer Jäger had been drinking only minutes before this happened - before their situation escalated like this. He could imagine Jäger's heart beating fast, like his own did, so excited for the unknown. Slowly, Fuze closed the distance between their lips. He closed his eyes when their lips met, feeling those soft lips on his own rough ones. In a flash, millions of scenarios played through his head, each one being even better than the last. But they all involved in them getting naked, feeling more of Jäger's skin under his lips as well as under his fingers. Jäger didn't move, and when Fuze was about to... 

"Hi guys!" 

Fuze jumped off a very flustered Jäger, who stared at him wide-eyed and touched his own lips absent-mindedly. Fuze turned to the intruder furiously, his eyes shot daggers. 

It was Pulse. 

"Just want you to know that I fully support you guys." Pulse announced excitedly, holding up two thumbs. When he noticed Fuze's rage and Jäger's confusion, he quickly excused himself and walked away. Behind them, Fuze could hear the whole bar shouting and cursing at Pulse. He looked at Jäger, who sat on the other end of the sofa now. 

"Shuhrat?" He managed to get out, his face still full of shock. The sight of him reminded Fuze of a puppy who had just been scolded at by his owners for doing something he didn’t fully understand. 

"I'm sorry." Fuze stuttered, excused himself as well and rushed to the toilets. Pulse's interruption had brought him back to reality. A reality in which he had only just found out about his feelings for Jäger. A reality in which he didn't even know if Jäger felt the same for him. He had just kissed him out of the blue, and forced himself on the smaller German. Now that he had sobered up, Fuze admitted that had been wrong. But it had felt so good then... 

Fuze didn't stay in the toilets long either. There was no one in there apart from some people in the last cubicle. From that toilet, Fuze heard loud groans and pants. He realised Bandit and Blitz had gone in there a while ago and was painfully reminded they were doing something he could never have. Fuze left again immediately. He walked past the bar towards the exit while Kapkan and Smoke congratulated him and cheered at him, raising their glasses and motioning for him to come and join them. Fuze didn't pay them any mind. There was nothing to celebrate. He wanted to get out, wanted to get as far away from that place as he could. 

Kissing Jäger had been a mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, there will be a proper first kiss later!


	8. Chapter 8

_Spetsnaz quarters, Fuze's bedroom, the next morning._

It was still dark, and when Fuze looked at the bright red lights of his digital alarm clock, he read that it was only 5 in the morning. His head ached like someone was thrusting a knife between his brains and his throat was dry, parched. Knowing he should get up, get a drink and pill, Fuze stayed in bed. He couldn't bring himself to move, especially when all the bad memories from yesterday night flooded into his head. He groaned at the thought of making a fool out of himself and at the same time cherished the memory of Jäger's lips against his. It couldn't really be called a kiss seeing as all they had done was press their lips together – imagine the mouth he could have tasted and explored if Pulse hadn't interrupted them... 

Fuze decided it was best not to get up yet even though he felt like shit. If he were more awake, his thoughts would torment him even more. So Fuze wanted to go back to sleep for another hour and wanted to lie on his side. Only, he couldn't. He felt unwell; apart from his head ache and dry throat he also had trouble breathing and a pressing weight on his body hurt his insides. It felt like a dead body lay on him. Panicking slightly, Fuze was happy to find he could still move his left hand. The rest of his limbs were weighed down and locked in place by whatever was on him. Or had he had a stroke during the night, and lost the use of his limbs? He tried to control the stress of the situation, as his increased heart rate didn't improve his breathing. Fuze turned on his bedside lamp to which he often read or played on his Gameboy before sleep. 

He blinked at the sudden bright light invading his small bedroom. He hissed, not liking to be waken up so abruptly when he hadn't had much sleep anyway. But the worst was the headache that now reached its peak. His eyes darted around his room while they avoided the light and were partially blinded by it. His curtains were still closed in front of his window and his door was closed as well. Nobody should have been able to get in. 

Fuze's eyes then rested on that weight on top of him, and to his absolute horror he found the one person he didn't dare to face anymore: Jäger. 

Sleeping soundly on his chest, the German held Fuze in a deathgrip which was why he hadn't been able to move or breath properly. His cheek lay on his broad chest, his eyes peacefully closed and he breathed softly. Fuze's right hand was trapped underneath his warm body. Jäger's arms were wrapped around Fuze's torso, their legs entwined. Fuze could feel Jäger's bare legs against his own and against his better judgement, he raised the covers with his free hand. After having stared at Jäger's butt in those tight briefs for way too long, Fuze saw they both wore nothing more than T-shirts and underwear. Hot. 

But how did Jäger get in here? And why? How come he was in Fuze's bed, sleeping under the same covers? Fuze stopped his panicked thoughts of having slept with Jäger without knowing: he had gone back to the HQ on his own. It was impossible that they had slept together. He had been drunk, but not that drunk. But then why was Jäger here? And what should he do now? Wake him up? No, too awkward. Wait for him to wake up? Slightly less awkward. 

While Jäger was still asleep, Fuze couldn't say he minded having the German sleep on him. Knowing he shouldn't, but wanting to anyway, he placed his hand on Jäger's back gently. How many times had he imagined being in the same bed as Jäger? And now that imagination had suddenly become very real. It was a bit different than he had always dreamed about, but the warm, small body on his felt so good… Now that he had calmed down somewhat, he could appreciate the unfortune moment more; it felt like he owned Jäger, it felt like he was his when he possesively put his hand on the smaller man’s back. It was a lie, and Fuze knew that, but he couldn't stop his thumb from stroking the German's back softly. And there they lay for a while, and Fuze felt happier than he'd been in a while. 

That was, until Jäger stirred. 

It wasn't intended, Fuze knew that, but as Jäger changed position slightly he grinded their crotches together. Fuze inhaled sharply, but Jäger continued sleeping undisturbed. All the scenarios he had fantasized about the night before when he was kissing Jäger filled his head like a balloon, making him unable to think of anything else. The mere thought of Jäger's manhood being so close to his own made his head spin, especially the fact that they were only covered by the thin fabric of their underwear. He imagined the _possibilities_. 

Never before had a person turned him on so much. Before Jäger, Fuze usually masturbated when he felt like it, thinking about nothing in particular apart from the bliss of ejaculating. How these dirty thoughts about Jäger had ever been able to form in his head lately, Fuze didn't know. He guessed it was instinct. 

The hand on Jäger's back now longed to be moved further down. Fuze closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself down as he thought about how soft and squeezable Jäger's ass cheeks probably were. Should he try? Fuze banished the thoughts from his mind immediately. Jäger was sleeping and he shouldn't take advantage of the situation. 

Still, Fuze was horny now and Jäger slept like a brick. Wanting more, Fuze couldn't help himself bucking his hips into Jäger's slightly. In fear of waking the German up he didn't move much, and the friction he got from it was far from enough to satisfy him. Frustrated he looked at the sleeping form of the German on his chest. So innocent he was, like that day he had come to show off his grandfather's uniform. Trusting everyone and being friendly to everyone, the cheerful Jäger was so easy to take advantage of... 

Fuze tried to admire Jäger's handsome features in those early hours of the day, but ended up imagining how Jäger would look like with his dick on those parted lips. Fuze panted slightly and attempted to grind their crotches together once more. It turned him on more. Frustrated he couldn't move and touch himself, Fuze groaned softly. That was when Fuze realised he could only get rid of this sexual frustration with the guy who caused it. The guy who he so conveniently found in his own bed, sleeping on him, wearing only briefs and a T-shirt... 

He should try. 

His hand slid down Jäger's back slowly, gently, carefully. Waking the German up now was the last thing he wanted. Because he was exploiting their situation. Jäger slept on his chest, innocent and defenseless. Fuze had stopped to wonder how Jäger got in his bed. He had instead started to wonder how long he could touch him for before he woke up. 

His hand reached the dip of his lower back before it rose up, feeling the hem of his briefs under the shirt he wore. Oh how much he wanted to pull those down, or at least slip his hand in them to get a real feel. But Fuze didn't dare to do either of those. Instead his hand crept on, coming to a halt on top of the nicely shaped bump that was Jäger's ass. Fuze's breath came in pants while he felt, making sure he moved his hand as slowly as he could in order not to wake up the sleeping Jäger. He placed his hand on one of Jäger's cheeks and bit his lip as he squeezed gently. 

The erection in his boxers grew more demanding with every second that passed, but Fuze couldn't help himself but continue. How he wished his right hand wasn't trapped underneath Jäger's heavy body; he would have had the honour of squeezing both ass cheeks at the same time... Fuze felt, caressed and fondled Jäger’s perfect ass, closing his eyes as he did so. So soft, so round, how would they feel on his hips? How would they look like if Jäger bent over in front of him? For a moment Fuze enjoyed fantasizing about Jäger In his grandfather's uniform, those baggy trousers pulled down to his knees and his ass sticking out as he bent over Fuze’s own bed. _Yes please._

Fuze removed his hand completely when Jäger stirred. A quick look on his digital clock told him it was 5:30 AM - _like 15 minutes of touching butt_. He watched the German; he feared he would wake up soon. And what would he say then? 

To his horror, Jäger did wake up then. He blinked a few times, opening and closing his eyes sleepily while he rubbed them with his fist. Fuze watched him scared, not even daring to breath. Jäger's eyes stared at the surface he was lying on for a moment. His eyebrows knit together before he looked up, right in Fuze's face. Confusion could be read off his face easily as he stared at the man who had stolen his first kiss last night. 

"Shuhrat?" His voice was sleepy, his German accent even more obvious than usual. Fuze absolutely didn't know what to say, so he just kept staring at the German who still lay on him. "How did I get here?" 

"I was hoping you could explain that." Fuze tried to sound indifferent. Why? 

Jäger looked around him, confused, before his eyes settled on Fuze again. He untangled his legs from Fuze's, and by doing so, he brushed over Fuze's boner. His eyes opened wide while he stared at Fuze in realisation. "Did we...?" 

Fuze almost smirked at how Jäger didn't dare to ask whether they had had sex together last night, but he was too busy being ashamed of the obvious tent in his boxers. How was he going to explain that? "No, I left the pub earlier." 

Jäger sighed in relief, something that hurt Fuze's pride for some reason. "Oh good. But then... Why...?" He stole a glance down their bodies, at Fuze's crotch, his cheeks heating up as he did so. 

"Morning wood." Fuze bit. The unfriendly tone in his voice discouraged Jäger, who immediately looked away from his crotch again, so close to his own. 

"Yesterday night though, what...?" Jäger dared to ask, although he didn't dare to finish this question either. 

"I was drunk. Sorry for whatever I did. I didn't mean to." Fuze answered coldly. But why was he being so cold and distant? This was the perfect moment to admit his feelings towards Jäger, but all he did was being mean to him. 

"O-oh..." Jäger sat up, looking rather upset for some reason. Fuze immediately missed the warmth he had radiated, and wanted to do nothing more than pull Jäger on him again. But he didn't. Apparently Jäger realised Fuze wasn't in the mood for talking, and figured the Uzbek wasn’t going to help him get to his own sleeping quarters either. So Jäger got up and walked towards the door of Fuze's room awkwardly. 

Fuze, still in bed, got the perfect view of his ass in those tight briefs. "Wait." 

Jäger stopped in his tracks and turned around, and was that a hopeful look on his face? 

Fuze wanted to tell him to stay. Wanted to tell him he liked him. Wanted to tell him he wanted him. Wanted to tell him to get back in his bed. Wanted to tell him he was the cause of his boner. But he said none of that. He got up, opened a drawer and pulled out his black sweatpants. He threw them to Jäger. "Here." 

Jäger caught them and seemed unsure of what to do for a moment. 

"Put them on to get back to your room. Just give them back later." Fuze shrugged, getting back in bed to tell Jäger the conversation was over, and to hide his raging boner. 

"Thanks." Jäger said weakly, put the trousers on and left without another word. When Fuze heard the heavy door of their quarters close behind Jäger, he pulled his boxers down and imagined everything that could have happened if he hadn't been so rude to the German. He fucked his fist thinking about how Jäger's ass had felt, and his imagination did the rest: what was under those briefs, how they would have made out and how Jäger would have moaned. 

The satisfaction of cumming didn't last long. The throbbing pain in his head, the parched throat and his regret for pushing Jäger away came back to him all at once. Exhausted by all these feelings, Fuze went back to sleep. But his dreams didn't comfort him and he woke up, 2 hours later, feeling more tired than he had done before he had found Jäger in his bed. He rubbed his face with his hands, sighed and got up with a groan. Wanting to put on his sweatpants but realising he had lent them out to Jäger, Fuze simply put his combat trousers on. 

When he opened his door, Fuze was met by a wide-grinning Kapkan sitting in the living room. Fuze decided to ignore the Russian and headed for their small bathroom instead. He drank some water, splashed it in his face and looked into the mirror. His eyes were red and he looked like shit. Better find himself some paracetamol, or something stronger. 

"Where's...?" Kapkan's voice trailed off and he looked at Fuze in surprise when the Uzbek returned from the bathroom. Kapkan stood in front of Fuze's empty room now, holding the door handle idly in his hand. 

"Where's who, Maxim?" Fuze folded his arms in front of his chest and looked at his comrade, unamused. He had momentarily forgotten about the pill he wanted to take. He was more interested in what Kapkan had to tell him. 

"Well, you know..." Kapkan grinned sheepishly and wiggled his eyebrows at Fuze. 

"Did you put Jäger in my bed?" Fuze asked him angrily. 

"Was Jäger in your bed? Oh Fuze, you naughty..." Kapkan answered quasi stupidly. Bad move. Fuze rushed over to him, slammed the door to his own room shut and pushed Kapkan into it. Still, Kapkan's grin didn't falter. "How did he taste?" Kapkan purred and looked at Fuze from under his hood. 

"Nothing happened." Fuze bit, glaring at Kapkan furiously. Kapkan seemed genuinely surprised. 

"Nothing happened? He wore next to nothing! And yesterday... You kissed..." Kapkan grabbed Fuze's arms. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" 

"I... didn't want to take advantage of him." Fuze admitted before he slammed Kapkan into the door once more. "What right do you think you have to drop him in my bed?" 

"Thought you two should finally get it on. And you would never do that if we didn't take measures, we thought." Kapkan shrugged and looked at Fuze daringly. "But you still didn't dare to touch him?" 

"I did touch him." Fuze replied angrily, but regretted it instantly. Kapkan's smirk grew wider and he wanted to know all about it. But Fuze refused to go on. "He woke up. I told him to go." 

"You told him to go?" Kapkan repeated disbelievingly. 

"Well, not in so many words..." Fuze had been rather harsh to the poor German, who hadn't even decided to climb in his bed in the first place. "Anyway, I don't even know what he feels for me, so it'd be wrong to force myself on him, wouldn't it?" _Wouldn't it?_

"Your words." Kapkan shrugged. The Russian had had no problems forcing himself on Glaz the first time they met, even though their feelings for each other had been mutual. Obviously. Glaz had forced himself on Kapkan first anyway. "Seriously though. You kissed. How can he possibly not have feelings for you if he let you kiss him?" 

"He must've thought I was drunk. Or something. I was though. It was a mistake to kiss him then, but I couldn't control..." Fuze's voice trailed off. 

"Your dick?" Kapkan finished the sentence for him and grinned. Fuze only looked at him guiltily under the bad disguise of a frown. "So you were so close to being with him, and you fucked it up?" 

Fuze released Kapkan and stepped away from him to give him some space. "I guess so." He mumbled. It was true he had missed a lot of chances yesterday and this morning. Fuze mentally hit himself for being so cold and distant. He wished he knew how to be seductive like Kapkan. An idea popped in his head. "Kapkan, would you be willing to... you know, teach me how to flirt?" Fuze looked at his friend, the embarrassment obvious on his face. 

Kapkan looked back at him, highly amused. "I'd love to, Shuh." 

Fuze nodded, signalling that this awkward conversation was over. He quickly entered his room to get changed, leaving a smirking Kapkan behind. This was probably a bad idea. 

 

\-- 

_Venice, Italy, the next day._

Fuze had cursed his luck when he found out Six wanted to deploy him on a mission the day after he woke up to a nearly-naked Jäger on his chest. Not because he was tired, and not because he hated Italy even. No, it was because Jäger had been sent along on this mission as well. _Well shit._

Jäger, whom he had been able to avoid the rest of the day so perfectly. Jäger, whom he was too ashamed to face, nervous his mind would go straight to the memory of feeling his ass at the sight of him. Jäger, who had been confused to say the least at waking up in Fuze’s bed. Now Fuze would have to spend a lot of time in very tense situations with the German. _Well shit._

It wasn’t like Jäger felt any better about it. He blamed his old habbit of sleep walking for landing him in Fuze's bed, although he knew all too well he hadn’t sleep walked since he was 6 years old. He had a hunch that Bandit was behind it, but he didn’t have any prove. He didn’t know why Bandit would do such a thing either. Poor thing. 

Jäger had admitted to himself that he had rather liked the sight and feeling of Fuze when he woke up; it had been peaceful and comforting. However, he knew it had been wrong. Two guys in one bed. Blitz shared his bed with Bandit, and Jäger vaguely knew what happened when they did. But he hadn’t done that, or at least he didn’t have the memory of doing it. What he did have the memory of, was of feeling a weight on his body when he woke up. His mind might be playing tricks on him, but he was sure the weight had been right on top of his ass. The feeling had been warm and surprisingly not uncomfortable; it had been a vague sensation of a massage. On his butt. But when he had opened his eyes to see what was going on, the weight had lifted. Strange. Waking up on Fuze's broad chest hadn’t been so bad either. Sure, it wasn’t the softest pillow he had ever had, but it had felt safe somehow. He had felt protected. 

But that feeling had vanished immediately when Jäger was startled to see he had been sleeping on his friend's chest. Fuze had given him no explanation, and Jäger didn’t have one either. He had been made to leave almost immediately, even though he had only just woken up. The sweat pants Jäger had borrowed from Fuze were still in his possession. He hadn’t seen the Uzbek operator at all for the rest of the day, so he couldn’t return them. It hadn’t worried him so much. Because, for reasons unknown to him, he had thrown them on his bed and had slept on them that night. That night after Fuze had kissed him, and touched his face so lovingly. That night after he had woken up on the Uzbek operator's chest. It all confused Jäger so much. But the pants smelt of Fuze and they gave Jäger a feeling of comfort. It was almost like he was lying on him again, so safe… The pants had been in his arms when he had woken up the next morning. 

And now they were in Italy, along with Castle, Rook and Sledge. Unbeknownst to Fuze and Jäger, this was the best team they could wish for, as all three of the other operators only vaguely knew that there was a team of ops on a mission to get them together. A mission these three weren’t interested in. This meant however, that once the team had infiltrated the objective – an old warehouse along one of the many canals, it’s colourful paint flaking off and it’s state neglected in general – and the bomb was found, Rook made the following decision: 

“Jäger, Fuze, you’re the nerds so you’re in charge of diffusing the bomb. Me, Sledge and Castle will scout around the building and kill off enemies. Understood?” 

Sledge and Castle shouted their affirmation, already making their way out of the room. Jäger gave Fuze a fearful look while the Uzbek himself glared at Rook through his mask. Why did the Frenchman want to torment him? Fuze never liked when Rook was picked to lead a mission. 

“I’m not hearing anything?” Rook shouted grumpily. 

“Affirmative, sir.” Jäger answered for the both of them, like the good boy he is. Rook nodded in appreciation at the German, gave Fuze a stern look and left with the Brit and American. 

Silence. 

Jäger stood uselessly next to the bomb, which bleeped faintly, waiting for what was to come. Now Fuze would have to talk to him. Now they got some privacy, now they could laugh at what happened to them and never speak of it again – although, was that what they wanted? But no such thing happened. 

“You disarm, I stand guard.” Fuze said coldly, apparently assuming the role of leader. He held his machine gun at the ready and strode over to the door. There he leaned against the door frame, relaxed, his back turned towards Jäger. 

The German watched him go, baffled. Why was Fuze being so mean to him? It upset him, but he wasn’t sure if he felt angry or sad over it. His eyes scanned the figure of the Uzbek through his visor. His pose was so relaxed, but he wasn’t. Jäger knew he wasn’t. His shoulders were tense and Jäger knew stress was to blame. Although, what stress? This mission had turned out to be a piece of cake so far, the bomb had already been located and these Italian White Masks were a bunch of amateurs. While his thoughts continued to race through his head, trying to think of a reason for Fuze to act this way, his eyes saw different things. A tall, broad, _able_ body. A body he had slept on, and now he was thinking about it, a body he wouldn’t mind sleeping on again. Fuze made him feel safe. Jäger felt his cheeks flush underneath his helmet and mask. There was nothing wrong with wanting to sleep while cuddling a friend, right? 

Fuze turned around abruptly. “Why haven't you started yet?” 

“I-uh…” Jäger started, panicking slightly. They were on a mission, he should know better than to take his feelings, thoughts and emotions with him. He should abandon them. Right now. He knew he had been staring. Oops. “I just remembered I still have your sweat pants.” Jäger made up on the spot, and wanted to hit himself the moment the words left his mouth. Abandon feelings! Not bring them up! 

Fuze was silent for a while, staring back at Jäger and not knowing what to say. Was he really going to bring _that incident_ back up now? He wanted to tell Jäger to keep them, that he never wanted them back. Little did he know Jäger would actually like that. 

“Shuhrat, what happened yesterday?” Jäger asked weakly, now so upset he couldn’t let it rest. 

Fuze swallowed hard. He was going to bring it up. Fuck. “It was just a prank. You know, Kapkan. And probably Bandit. They- … never mind. Don’t worry about it. I’ll make sure they leave you alone from now on. It won’t happen again.” Fuze explained in as little words as possible. 

_’But I liked it.’_ He nearly said. Jäger nearly said it. His voice got stuck in his throat and he only hummed, which was for Fuze the signal to turn back around and ‘stand guard’. Problem was, now neither of them could concentrate anymore. 

Fuze, standing guard, kicked himself mentally for wasting yet another opportunity to tell Jäger about his feelings. He told himself the German wouldn’t return them anyway. He told himself he would have made a fool of himself if he had spoken. But Jäger was only just beginning to understand that, in fact, he did have feelings for Fuze that confused him greatly. 

Jäger, now slowly turning to the difficult task of diffusing the bomb, felt upset and confused at Fuze’s lack of care. But Fuze did care, very much so. Only, Jäger didn’t know that, nor did he understand why Fuze was behaving this way. He found he wanted to have the Uzbek close, but it seemed he only got further away from him. What was going on? 

The mission was a success. Rook, Castle and Sledge returned, having taken care of all off the hostiles. Jäger had disarmed the bomb and Fuze had protected him effectively. It should be a moment to celebrate, but neither Jäger nor Fuze felt like celebrating. They ignored each other, hurt and overthinking, while really they just misunderstood each other… 

\-- 

_Shooting range, Hereford Base, two days later._

Mute aimed his favourite submachine gun down the range. In small bursts, he shot down all the targets with ease, even though the distance between them was great. It didn't take him longer than 10 seconds to hit all seven cardboard figures dead centre. It took great concentration to aim his MP5K at the right height for every target in so little time, but he was confident in his skill. Looking down the range satisfied, he loaded another magazine into the slot before he noticed someone was watching him. Turning around, Mute was faced by Blitz' patient smile. 

"Impressive, how you use that gun." Blitz complimented him sincerely. 

"Want to give it a try?" Mute smiled back at the German. 

"I might be a bit rusty." Blitz admitted as he took position next to Mute, taking the weapon from the Brit. He took in the places of the targets, took a deep breath and aimed down the sights. The seven targets took him 15 seconds to hit, and several more shots than Mute. Blitz laughed and handed the gun back to the man next to him. 

"Not bad." Mute laughed and gave Blitz a pat on the shoulder. 

"I'll leave guns like these to you guys." Blitz smiled and leaned against the wall of the range. The team was lucky they were provided with a covered outside range as well as a range inside. Of course only the area where the shooters sat was covered; not the range itself. 

"Any news on the love birds?" Mute asked while he loaded yet another magazine into his gun. 

Blitz shrugged. "Well, I didn't witness their first kiss in the pub," His cheeks heated up at the memory of Bandit between his legs in that small toilet cubicle, "but Bandit and Kapkan have messed up whatever started to form between them this morning." 

"How come?" Mute asked, looking at Blitz with great interest. 

"They dropped Jäger in Fuze's bed." 

Mute nearly dropped the gun. "What?" 

Shaking his head, Blitz explained: "Jäger is a deep sleeper, and clings onto everything in his sleep. Fuze probably woke up because of Jäger's deathgrip. I've experienced it on missions. Anyway, this morning, Bandit was surprised to find Jäger coming out of his own room. Apparently Fuze had kicked him out." 

"Ah shit." Mute cursed. "Why do they always mess it up? What did they think would happen, some banging?" 

"Well, I did notice Jäger was wearing black sweatpants that were not his own..." Blitz said thoughtfully. “And he was highly confused, behaving very strange and avoiding all of us.” He motioned next to him, meaning his GSG9 teammates. 

“Hmm… Could this event have sparked his interest?” Mute scratched his cleanly-shaven chin. 

“Possibly. However, we’ve had to inform IQ on the situation.” Blitz told the Brit regrettably. “She came back from the toilet just as Kapkan and Bandit were hoisting Jäger out of his room in the middle of the night. She saw everything and demanded answers from me this morning. Bandit told her all about our plans as if they were juicy gossip. Jäger was long gone by then, so don’t worry about him knowing anything.” 

“So what did IQ think about all this?” Mute asked him suspiciously. 

“She didn’t seem as shocked as I expected her to be… She didn’t say much, just wanted answers. Left straight when she got them.” Blitz answered. 

“To see Ash?” 

“Most likely.” 

Both men nodded knowingly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may not believe it, but we're actually getting there (x
> 
> I would like to thank you all again for your amazing continuous support! I can't believe this story is nearly reaching 100 kudos - I watch it go up every day with astonishment. I am so grateful for all your kind messages and support! Thank you!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think you're going to love this... Well I hope you will c:
> 
> Now with art! Please check it out, you'll find it as you read... The art is made by my amazing friend Betti, and the whole concept was her idea I liked so much and used in my fic. I'm so grateful she allowed me to use it for this fic as it's so glorious and omg I'll warn you now because it'll make your nose bleed x3

_Women's toilets, first floor, one day later._

“Are you sure Twitch doesn’t go here? Or any of the female officers?” Ash asked IQ in a hushed voice.

“Positive. Nobody ever goes to these toilets.” IQ answered, checking the corridor outside the toilets before closing the door silently. She leaned against it, folding her arms.

“Right. So Fuze.” Ash started, leaning against the sink with her hip.

“Yes.”

“And Jäger.” Ash continued.

IQ grabbed her hair and pulled on it. “Don’t say it like that! Ohh why do the cute ones always have to be gay? I was so sure I had a chance with him…” She exclaimed.

Ash shook her head, smiling thoughtfully. “He is cute… But are the guys sure he’s gay?”

“Half of them aren’t, they’re just trying to see if he could be. But Bandit and Kapkan seem to be sure.” IQ pouted.

“But what do they know, seriously.” Ash rolled her eyes before she asked: ” And Fuze?”

“I'm fairly sure about him. You should have seen his face when Jäger came to show his uniform the other day in the living room. I could basically read his thoughts… And I didn’t like them.” IQ said angrily.

“So Fuze is gay, Jäger undecided. You know Jäger, what do you think?” Ash counted up the facts and looked at IQ.

IQ shrugged in defeat. “As much as I want him to be straight, he’s always had this gay thing about him. Always thought he’d go for Blitz but… I don’t think he even knows himself.”

Ash snorted and got up. “And that’s where our chance is. Jäger doesn’t know whether he's straight or gay now, but he hasn’t had any action with Fuze yet, has he? The guys have been giving him a taste of what it would be like if he was gay, but if we gave him a proper taste of how good women are…”

IQ looked at her grinning friend, and an idea started to form in her head. “Like… an actual taste?”

Ash nodded and walked towards the German girl. “He won’t be able to resist us. We'll get him straight again in no time.” Ash grabbed her hand. IQ giggled madly at her words before they left the toilets.

Pulling each other along, running around the base hysterically and giggling nervously, the girls searched all over the barracks for their German operator. On their way they met officers and colleagues, who cocked an eyebrow at their childish behaviour.

"Ash, what's up?" Thermite asked with a grin, seeing his pretty teammates giggling and running around.

"Have you seen Jäger, Jordan?" Ash asked him excitedly, but Thermite denied. He hadn't seen the German all day. So Ash and IQ continued their search, whispering and giggling about all the naughty things they'd do with Jäger to turn him straight.

They found Jäger not much later, sitting in the workshop on his own. The fact that his ADS lay in front of him untouched went unnoticed by them, just as his empty, sad stare into the distance; the two girls had something completely different on their minds. Not even Fuze's empty seat made them realise something was going on. Ash closed the door behind them, glancing through its window quickly to see if there was no one near.

The workshop wasn't occupied usually, only by Jäger and Fuze and the occasional visitor. They never stayed long. Ash and IQ could only hope no one would disturb them while they were busy with Jäger.

IQ popped in the seat next to him, the one that was usually occupied by Fuze. Ash sat on the desk on the other side of the German, leaning over seducedly. It was only then that Jäger seemed to wake up from his daydreaming with a start. He looked at Ash and IQ, his eyes wide, confused as to why the girls were there.

"Working all on your own, Jäger?" Ash purred, propping herself up like a model to show off her cleavage.

"Would you like some company?" IQ joined in, laying her hand on his leg gently and shuffling closer to her German teammate.

"But... You rarely work here in the workshop." Jäger replied dumbfounded.

"Who said it's _those_ tools we came for?" IQ waved her other hand around at the work tools that hung on the walls around the workshop. She smiled at Jäger, slipping her hand from his leg to his inner thigh.

"What did you come for then?" Jäger asked, face flustered as he felt IQs hand on his body. His already-confused brains seemed to catch up on the next confusing thing that was about to happen to him. He wasn't ready for this. All these emotions the last few days, they drained him and left him upset and hollow.

"What do you think, honey?" Ash reached out and stroked his cheek with her soft hands.

Jäger started trembling. His hands were balled up in fists, his short nails digging into his palms. Sweat broke out to him and he felt feverish. What were they doing? Why couldn’t they leave him alone in his misery? He was being ignored by Fuze all day and he couldn’t comprehend what had been happening in the last few days, nor the change in his feelings towards his tech friend. And now these two were here to make him an emotional wreck? Or to supposedly cheer him up? Jäger wanted it to stop, whatever was happening.

IQ's hand was slowly crawled closer to his crotch while she breathed on his neck now. She placed soft kisses on his skin, making Jäger shiver. Ash's hand had now travelled to his dark-blonde hair and she was pulling him closer, attacking the other side of his neck with her lips. Her other hand joined IQ down there, and together they felt his thighs and crotch. Jäger closed his eyes, tried to slow down his breaths but was completely lost.

Never had any of the girls shown him any kind of affection. IQ always had a crush on one of the bigger, tougher men on their team, and so did Ash. They looked at him, thought he was cute, but never showed him affection like... like Fuze did. The women playing around down there confused his mind even more. Fuze groping him, them groping him, it was too much. What did _he_ want?

"I... I don't..." Jäger snapped his eyes open and started speaking suddenly, his heart pounding as if he was in a dangerous situation he wanted to get out of.

"Shhh love, let us take care of you." Ash purred again and he heard his zipper being pulled down. Ash pushed him into his seat while hands infiltrated his pants and touched him. IQ's lips were still connected to his neck, sucking on his skin hard enough to leave a mark. Jäger pulled away.

"Stop, I don't..." He tried to release himself from the women's grip, but he found his legs rather weak as his semi-boner needed more blood. Still he managed to pry himself loose from the touching hands, jumping away from his stool and immediately getting some distance between himself and the girls.

"Marius..." IQ and Ash looked a mixture of disappointed, baffled and annoyed while Jäger backed away from them. With trembling hands he zipped his trousers back up, still unable to grasp what was happening to him.

"I don't..." Jäger tried again, before he turned around and fled, leaving Ash and IQ in the workshop and his tools still on his desk. The girls got up, still staring at the door through which Jäger had left in sheer panic.

"Eliza...?" IQ was the first to speak up, dumbfounded as to why Jäger would leave two beautiful girls like this. "He's... He really is..."

Ash folded her arms in annoyance. "He's not even worth us. C'mon Monika." Ash said angrily, grabbing IQ's arm and storming out of the workshop with her.

By then Jäger was long gone. He hurried through the corridors, not even knowing where his legs were taking him. His head hurt from all this confusion. Fuze nearly kissing him and touching him, waking up to the Uzbek man in his very own bed, and then these two girls, forcing themselves on him and groping him. What was going on? Where should he go and what should he do?

Jäger's train of thought was abruptly stopped when he bumped into someone. His legs had moved on their own free will, he had not been able to stop in time and now he crashed to the floor. It happened so fast, Jäger sat on the floor dumbfounded. Could he not get a break from being thrown around like he was an emotionless doll? A hand reached out to him, offering to help him up.

"Hey Jäger! Sorry, didn't notice you storming through the building." Thermite laughed, and Jäger looked into his friendly face as he accepted his hand. Jäger got up and rubbed his sore butt.

"No it was my fault, I didn't look where I was going… Sorry Thermite." Jäger smiled weakly at the American operator.

Thermite looked him up and down once, the friendly smile on his face turning into a grin. "So, I take it Ash and IQ found you?"

Jäger stopped brushing the dirt off his clothes and looked at Thermite with wide eyes. How did he know?

"I saw them running around looking for you. You're so lucky, I wish I could get in their pants." Thermite laughed out loud, patting the still-scared Jäger on the back.

They had been looking for him? They had planned to do this to him? But why?

"Hey man, are you alright?" Thermite asked when Jäger didn't respond and laugh with him, as he had expected. "You're not going to say you didn't enjoy it, right?"

Jäger looked like he was about to cry. What was happening to him? "I... I didn't..."

"… You didn't?" Thermite asked, dumbfounded.

"I ran away." Jäger blurted out, not sure why he was saying this to Thermite. The American operator was nice, but they never really hung out together.

"… You ran away?" Thermite repeated, still dumbfounded. "You ran away... when the two hottest ops of this base basically offered themselves to you on a golden plate? You... You refused a threesome with them?"

Jäger nodded. The reality of what Thermite just said didn't hit him at all. For some unknown reasons, he didn't regret his choice of running away at all.

Thermite laughed nervously. "You wasted a chance to get it on with _those two_? Hah... Are you-" He swallowed the words before he said them. His laugh got lost somewhere in his throat before he could mockingly say the typical 'are you gay'? He stared at Jäger again, and it was as if he saw him for the first time. He looked at the German in a whole new light when he finished his question quietly, much more serious now: "Are you gay?"

If it was possible, Jäger's eyes widened even more. Was he gay? Blitz had asked him the same question before and then he had been shocked too. Could it be…? For turning down a threesome with IQ and Ash? For... for enjoying Fuze's attention? For having enjoyed that kiss, for having enjoyed waking up on his chest? Jäger started trembling again, from head to toe. Did he like Fuze? The guy he loved spending time with in the workshop, the guy he never knew how to behave around? The guy who had become such a good friend over the months they had spent at Hereford Base, even though he was cold and unsocial towards everyone else? The one guy who cared more about him than Blitz, hell, probably even more than his own mum?

Of course he was in love with Fuze. How stupid was he for not seeing that before? Although, he had seen it, in a way. He knew he liked Fuze's company, more so and in a different way than his best friend's. He now realised he had always had unexplainable feelings towards the Uzbek operator, which had grown stronger and stronger over the last week. He just had been blind to them up until now. Now Jäger knew what he wanted and where he should go. He gathered all his courage before he asked Thermite:

"Do you know where Fuze is?"

 

\--

_The gym's mens changing room, meanwhile..._

"So you just pin him to the wall and lean over him like this. He'll dig that."

Kapkan pushed Bandit into the white-tiled wall of the men's changing rooms, not gently but not exactly rough either, and leaned his arm above the smaller man to loom over him. Kapkan was instructing Fuze, who sat on one of the benches, looking rather nervous while Kapkan seduced a smirking Bandit. To give Fuze examples on how to flirt, of course. Kapkan had been teaching him for the last few days.

They had been in the changing rooms for an hour now. Luckily no one had entered since then, or it would have gotten awkward. But a lot of the other operators were gone on a mission, like Blitz and Glaz, and apparently the two pranksters took that as their leave to misbehave. Kapkan insisted on having Bandit with them while he gave Fuze lessons in flirting, as his 'assistant'. Bandit amused himself fully, enjoying to show Fuze everything he knew about the topic with Kapkan. Fuze felt highly uncomfortable.

"Maxim, I can't just do such things." Fuze commented and shook his head. "Jäger will be scared of me."

"As if he isn't already, like the rest of the base." Bandit joked, earning a hateful glare from Fuze.

"Dom, shut up." Kapkan told Bandit sternly, making him smirk even wider. Kapkan ignored it. "Shuh, stop being a chicken and come here. Show us what you've learned."

Fuze looked disgusted. "With him?" He said, nodding at Bandit. The German grabbed at his heart, pretending to be hurt.

"Or with me, if you prefer." Kapkan grinned.

"I prefer to not do this at all... I'm leaving..." Fuze got up and started to head for the exit.

"But we haven't nearly showed you everything you need to know!" Bandit shouted out, while Kapkan rushed forward.

"Bandit, plan B!" Kapkan yelled, and Bandit was with him at once. They grabbed Fuze before he could open the doors leading out of the changing rooms, and pulled him back inside. The Uzbek struggled against them, but as the two held him tightly and their attack was unexpected, Fuze couldn't do much. They dragged him on, into the shower area. Fuze didn't even know who did what, but he was pushed into one of the stalls. As he lost his balance and fell to the floor, the water was turned on. Ice cold.

"Wake up, Shuhrat! Ask Jäger out!" Kapkan shouted over the sound of rushing water. Fuze heard them laughing and not long after he heard the doors close. Kapkan and Bandit had left. Sighing, Fuze got up with a groan. He rubbed his cheek, on which he had fallen, and turned off the water. The shower had only be on for a short amount of time, but it had been enough to soak his clothes. Shivering, Fuze got out of the stall. He looked around a little helplessly before he trudged to the bench on which he had sat before. He hadn't expected to need anything when he came here with Kapkan and Bandit, and thus didn't have anything to dry himself off with, nor did he have any dry clothes.

Looking down at his wet white T-shirt and soaked sweatpants, Fuze kicked his shoes off grumpily. He took his socks off, squeezing them until no more water dripped out of them. He put them on the bench beside him and sighed again. Then he leaned his arms on his knees and held his head in his hands.

_Fuck._

It wasn't like it was easy to 'just' ask Jäger out... He had already fucked up so much with the German, he would fully understand if Jäger never wanted to see him again. Fuze hated himself for pushing Jäger away all the time. He really wanted to be with him, but he was scared at the same time. Of what, you ask? Well, of loving, of allowing Jäger into his life. Fuze wouldn't exactly make a loving partner, and he worried it would hurt Jäger. If he couldn't give the love the small German needed, he would leave Fuze. And the thought of losing him... He couldn't bear. No, he couldn't love Jäger like he needed and deserved.

The door opened. Fuze didn't look up. The door closed again. Fuze heard the shuffle of uncertain feet, shyly and carefully getting closer to him. It was Jäger. Fuze heard by the way he walked. Of all people...

Jäger approached Fuze, wondering why the Uzbek man had taken a shower in his clothes. But that didn’t matter now. Jäger had made up his mind. Thermite had made him see that, yes, he was gay. And he had had feelings for Fuze all along. He just needed to tell him.

"Are you okay?" Jäger asked softly as he sat down next to a wet Fuze and his socks on the bench.

Fuze looked up, water drops falling from his beautiful dark, wavy hair. His face was wet and water collected in his short black stubble beard. His brown eyes stared at Jäger, helpless, sorrowful, but affectionate.

"Why are you wet?" Jäger whispered innocently when Fuze didn't answer. The man next to him closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall, rubbing his face with his hands as he sighed.

"Ask Kapkan and Bandit." Fuze answered curtly. Jäger immediately understood. The two had played a prank on Fuze. He felt sorry for his friend, and he wanted to say something along those lines when his eyes trailed over Fuze's figure, leaning against the wall, eyes still closed. His grey sweatpants were soaked and looked heavy with water, and Jäger could see water collecting around Fuze's feet. His pants hung heavily around his hips, exposing quite an impressive bul-

No, Jäger, look elsewhere. You have never been interested in him before this way, take it slow. Jäger told that to himself while his eyes returned to stare at Fuze's wet body. His white T-shirt clung to his broad chest tightly, enabling Jäger to see through and-

Stop.

Jäger's eyes trailed over his wet, muscled arm, wanting to touch it when his eyes shot up at Fuze's face and – oh God he was looking at him. Jäger felt his cheeks heat up uncomfortably and he immediately averted his eyes. _Caught._

 

 

"Jäger?" Fuze asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. Had the little German been checking him out?

The German played with the zip of his hoodie, suddenly feeling quite small and pathetic next to the big, broad Fuze. What was he thinking, that Fuze would like him back? Him? _Oh please._

Fuze quickly threw his socks off the bench and shuffled closer to Jäger. He put a wet hand on his shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?"

Jäger didn't dare to look at him, but his heart was full and he had to pour it out. His best friend Blitz wasn't there to help him, so he had to fix this shit himself. "I'm... confused." He heard Fuze hold his breath and his hand fell off his shoulder. Jäger had to ask, but didn't quite dare to: "When you kissed me... Were you...?"

"I was drunk." Fuze immediately finished the sentence, his voice loud and harsh compared to Jäger's weak voice. "Unless- Unless you..." Fuze then added carefully, but didn't actually know what he wanted to say. God, this was so awkward. This was the perfect moment to confess to Jäger, seeing as they were all alone in here and the German was so close to him now, but he didn't know how nor dared to...

"I... what?" Jäger asked softly, wanting to know what Fuze was about to say. But the Uzbek man stayed silent for a really, really long time. Jäger just sat beside him, not daring to look at him again nor to let his eyes wander over his glorious body. He fumbled with the sleeve of his hoodie, not knowing whether he should leave now and leave Fuze alone or if he should stay. This would be the perfect moment to tell Fuze about his feelings, but what if they were not returned?

But it was time to tell him.

Fuze sighed. "Jäger, I just need to get something off my chest..."

But Jäger had his mind set on what he wanted to say, and didn't even hear that Fuze had started to confess to him first. He turned to face Fuze, and blurted out: "I think I like you Shuhrat."

Fuze fell silent, trying to extract the words from each other as Jäger had talked so quickly. Had he just...? His brains tried to grasp what his ears had just heard. He had been so nervous about his own confession that he barely heard Jäger's. Wait. Jäger just confessed that he liked him? "Oh."

"Oh?" Jäger felt afraid by Fuze's disinterested answer. However he heard that the Uzbek's voice shook and tilted his head when Fuze spoke again.

"I mean... O-oh." Fuze tried again, his voice still shaking and his 'oh' not sounding any better than the one before. "You... You like me?" He repeated, dumbfounded.

Jäger nodded, looking extremely insecure. He didn't trust his voice to answer Fuze's question. He felt more scared now than he had done that time Bandit had locked him into a dark storage room. And man, that had been a terrifying experience.

"You like me..." Fuze repeated again, this time more of a statement than a question. "Why?" He asked stupidly.

Jäger looked bewildered with the question. "Why? I ... I-I don't know?" The German mumbled hesitantly. "Monika and Ash just came to me and they- Well, I didn't want... them. I just wanted... you?" Jäger talked incoherently, nervously playing with his jumper's sleeve still. He looked at the floor and felt his cheeks heat up embarrassingly. Well, that was it. He had made a fool of himself in front of Fuze, the man who made his heart beat a little faster even though he had never noticed it. He was just waiting to be refused now. How could he think a guy like Fuze would have feelings for him?

But then Jäger's shaking hand on his sleeve was covered, and he froze, stopped playing with his clothes. When he looked at his lap, he saw Fuze's hand on his. The hands he had seen countless of times, working on his Matryoshka or gripped around the grip of his gun. That rough, scarred and calloused hand was now on his, gentle and careful. Jäger stared at Fuze's hand, his eyes followed the Uzbek's arm to where it connected with his shoulder and glanced up at the man next to him. There he found a smile, warmer and surer than he'd ever seen before. It adorned his usual neutral face and it calmed jäger down.

"I also need to get something off my chest. More than you know..." Fuze then mumbled and he seemed to be looking for words. He looked into Jäger's blue eyes and gathered up the courage to speak his feelings: "I think I like you too."

Jäger's cheeks flushed a bright red upon hearing these words and he averted his eyes. He felt a mixture of emotions, relief, affection, fear... But most of all, he couldn't believe this was all happening. How long had he known Fuze now? How long had they been friends? How long had they been unaware of their feelings? And how long had they been aware? And now, out of nowhere... Could this be real? Just like that? Was Fuze all for him? Just like that?

Fuze watched the German struggle with his thoughts while his cheeks turned pink. This confession had taken them a while and he understood it was all a bit confusing now, but he was so happy he spoke about his feelings. Yes, they had been completely oblivious about the way they felt towards each other and Fuze had made mistakes that hurt Jäger, but the smaller man made him feel so good. It was true, they were like fire and ice. Like a thunderstorm and blue skies. But Fuze couldn't help falling for him. Sure, they'd make a strange couple. But why should they care? He was extremely fond of this one man, an affectionate feeling he had never felt towards another person.

So, that was that. Fuze confessed to Jäger he liked him, and Jäger had done the same. It was perfect and both men realised that the weird, nauseous feeling in their bellies were in fact butterflies. They felt so unexplainable happy, a sort of high they had never been before and it felt _right_.

So…

What now?

Jäger blushed madly and kept his eyes away from Fuze's face shyly. He was so unsure and a complete noob when it came to relationships. He had only had one when he was a little boy, a childish one which wasn’t real but looked interesting at that age. What does one do once a relationship has been established? Should they just sit there holding hands? What was he supposed to do?

Fuze didn’t dare to look at Jäger either, his face flushed and holding the German's hand awkwardly. Should he let go? Should they get up and leave? But what should they do then? No, that wouldn’t be right. They should stay in here for a while, get used to be together. But what was there to get used to? They had always sat together. Just without holding hands. So what should he do? An idea popped in his head. Should he try to kiss Jäger again? Of course he had had time to get used to the idea of being with Jäger in a romantic way longer than the man next to him had, and he did crave those lips. He had had a taste of them before, but just pressing their lips together hadn’t been enough. He wanted to feel Jäger kiss him back, wanted to move his own lips against those soft ones. All his fantasies about Jäger didn’t seem so far off now…

It seemed almost sinful right now, when they had just confessed, to already want more of Jäger than just a kiss. But if Fuze could have his way now, he would crash his lips onto Jäger's and explore the innocent man’s body with his hands until he had felt every inch of skin. But that would be wrong. He cared about Jäger more than he cared about himself, and he knew they should take this slow. He just couldn’t wait to play around with Jäger…

But for now: a kiss. How does one go about doing that? Of course they had done it already, but he had been quite tipsy then so that didn’t count. He was sober now, Jäger was sober, and the German would remember any foolish mistake for the rest of his life if he ruined his first kiss.

When Jäger dared to glimpse at the man next to him shyly, Fuze looked back. This was the moment, he felt it, and he gathered all his courage. Fuze grabbed the German's chin before he could avert his eyes again, never having liked to look into people's faces anyway, and pulled him towards himself gently. From his chin Fuze moved his hand to cup Jäger's cheek, which seemed to turn an even deeper shade of red when he saw Fuze leaning in to him, his eyes wide and his breathing quick. Like he had done in the pub, Fuze stroked the soft skin of his cheek gently with his thumb before his finger slid down, over Jäger's parted lips. He wanted them. Jäger started to lean in too, and Fuze captured his lips with his own and tasted Jäger's lips once again.

And there they sat, lips pressed together again, like they had done in the bar. That was when Fuze panicked slightly. Jäger didn’t move, too dumbfounded with all that was happening to him. So it came down to Fuze. But how exactly do you kiss? It’s not just pressing lips together. Jäger waited patiently but the Uzbek was afraid he would soon realise Fuze had no idea what he was doing. Would he laugh at him? Would he walk away? Would he say he never wanted to see him again?

Shit.

Fuze remembered watching Smoke and Mute make out that one fine autumn afternoon on the grass in the sun. He had mimicked their movements on the tree. How wrong would it be if he did that again now? On the real Jäger? Well, better that than being rejected. Here goes nothing.

Fuze started moving his lips slowly over Jäger's, improvisingly and unsure. He felt the German tense and his lips go stiff. Without letting that discourage him, Fuze continued, trying out different motions with his lips. Jäger started to relax, allowing Fuze to do however he pleased with his mouth, and not soon after he started to kiss back. Jäger didn’t really know what he was doing either, but their kiss was satisfying and became more and more confident the longer their lips were locked together. Jäger gave a soft moan, which startled himself more than Fuze, when the Uzbek sucked his lower lip gently.

Chuckling, Fuze licked his lip, caressing it with his tongue when Jäger's lips parted slightly. Fuze could feel his breath coming in pants when he pushed the tip of his tongue between Jäger's parted lips. The German allowed him inside, groaning softly as Fuze explored the inside of his mouth greedily. Jäger held tightly onto Fuze’s hand, which was still on his lap.

It felt like their intimacy lasted for hours, when in fact it probably wasn’t more than a minute or two. Jäger reluctantly broke the kiss to catch his breath. Fuze stroked his cheek with his thumb gently while Jäger panted. He pushed his forehead onto Jäger's and they looked into each other’s eyes. Without saying anything they simply enjoyed being together and appreciated what they had together. Jäger was lost in Fuze's dark pools while Fuze felt like he was watching a beautiful blue sky outside.

Jäger started chuckling softly. It took a while before Fuze realised where the merry sound was coming from, so lost in the moment they had just had. He joined into the German's cheerfulness and together they laughed at their foolishness. He moved both his hands to cup Jäger’s face now, so glad as he was to finally be able to express his fondness for the man he had loved all that time without knowing. Jäger placed his soft, warm hands on Fuze's rough ones, as if he had to feel for himself that Fuze was really holding him. It was all really happening. He had never felt so happy before.

They were complete opposites. It had taken them a while, a lot of pain, uncertainty and confusion, but here they were. And just like that, they were suddenly more than friends. They expressed their nervousness and happiness in the form of laughter. Fuze laughed every time the German laughed and Jäger felt honoured to hear the Uzbek laugh, a rare sound. They sat there a while, just laughing and staring at each other, foolish, before they finally got up when Jäger suggested Fuze should change into dry clothing. And after that… After that they simply went to the workshop again as if nothing had changed.

Day after day.

But something had changed. Jäger was even more shy than before, blushing but always wearing a bright smile on his face. He always wanted to see Fuze more than before, even though they just sat in the workshop and went about their ways as usual. They were just as awkward together as before, and indeed nothing would seem changed to an outsider if they watched the two together. But Jäger found that Fuze was even gentler with him than before, but it could be that he had always been and the German had just never noticed. He had never thought he would be with Fuze one day… The Uzbek did treat Jäger like a princess, a fragile doll, feeling the need to protect him at all times. While they worked, he often simply watched Jäger, a loving stare in his eyes…

No, neither Kapkan nor Bandit noticed any change, thinking their advice for Fuze had been useless and the two went about their ways as usual. But Mute noticed all this when he returned to the workshop after some days. Jäger's shyness, Fuze's loving stares and the hushed voices in which they spoke, now suddenly seeming to value their privacy in the presence of Mute and others in the workshop. He was surprised to see both Jäger and Fuze so in love, however subtle (or awkward) it was. He didn’t comment on it, nor let the others know. He felt he should give the two some time together before the team would find out. Because when that happened, and it would happen soon, all hell would break loose…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music inspiration for this fic, and this chapter in particular, is:  
> [Axwell Λ Ingrosso - More Than You Know](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsF05B8TFWg)  
> [Ellie Goulding - Still Falling For You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUah0gSkW2g) (which I found is quite literally the theme song to the relationship of these two (x )
> 
> Sooo that's that! Took them 9 chapters xD Just a heads up, I think this fic will contain about 14 chapters. Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> EDIT: Please check out the amazing Ari's art of this chapter here: [link](http://aricyanide.tumblr.com/post/175406676432/fuzejager-first-kiss-scene-for-hetsezs-love) <3


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all I'd like to kindly direct you to the previous chapter, where I've added an amazing piece of art my friend Betti did and allowed me to use for this fic. Warning: nose bleeds. Thanks Betti for the amazing art <3 Secondly I'd like to thank you all for your continuous support. I can't explain how much it means to me c:
> 
> Now that we got the love birds' love confessions out of the way, it's time for some action. Am I right? (;

_The canteen, a week later._

Mute sat eating his breakfast with Smoke. They were quite late, all the other operators had already finished up or were getting ready to start their training for the day. Only the Germans and the Russians were still in the canteen, but they were bound to leave soon as well. The operators were always out and about, training and exercising and practising. However, Smoke had visited Mute in his bedroom that morning, so they were a little later than usual. The two British operators were just talking about this and that, planning their work out for the day and not minding the others much. 

The Russian operators were still talking loudly in their own language when the Germans left the canteen. Although, not all Germans left at once. Jäger stayed behind, murmuring something about wanting to get another coffee. Blitz, Bandit and IQ told him to meet up later with them, and left. They didn’t think Jäger's behaviour was odd, as Blitz and Bandit had agreed he needed more time. It amused Jäger that they didn’t know about him and Fuze, and preferred to keep it that way to enjoy the pure love while he could. That’s what he and Shuhrat had decided. They knew their nosy teammates were bound to find out soon, so they had decided to keep it a secret for now. 

Fuze didn’t even look at Jäger. It was too dangerous; Glaz, Tachanka and especially Kapkan would notice immediately if he started staring at the smaller German. Kapkan wouldn’t let the matter rest and continued to teach Fuze how to flirt. Fuze supposed the lessons were useful, but he felt increasingly annoyed by Kapkan telling him to ask Jäger out… If only he knew. But for the time being Fuze ignored Jäger completely, taking part in the conversation as he usually would while he waited for his comrades to leave. 

When that moment finally came, Fuze followed the three to the exit of the canteen. He walked slower on purpose, lagging behind and making sure he was left in the canteen while his friends had already left. He waited at the doors, and soon Jäger appeared. They talked in hushed voices, planning when they would meet in the workshop that day. Jäger leaned against the wall while Fuze stood in front of him, their bodies almost touching. 

They hadn’t done anything yet. Anything sexual, of course. They had already shared their first kiss upon admitting their feelings for each other, but apart from that nothing much happened. They shared the odd kiss every now and then, when they were alone in the workshop. Those kisses were always light, a bit unsure and shy, but never failed to give both men butterflies in their stomachs. Still, there was never any hot making out. Jäger would give Fuze a soft kiss on the cheek whenever the Uzbek helped him out with one of his upgrades, and in his turn Fuze touched him. Nothing inappropriate though. No, Fuze would cup Jäger's face or stroke his arm affectionately. Nothing more. 

Even though both men wanted more. 

But the shyness and inexperience kept them from venturing further than light, fleeting kisses. And hugs. Fuze soon found out the German was a real hugger, and he had to admit that he loved it. Being hugged, embraced in the other's arms, gave a feeling of comfort and belonging he had never felt before. Still, he would eye Jäger's perfect butt whenever he had the chance, wondering, thinking… 

How is it done? 

Inexperienced as they were with kissing, both men knew absolutely nothing about sex. Nor did they have any experience with men. In their own minds they figured they could try handjobs, but both were too awkward to propose it. So what do two shy and awkward men do, when they really just want to try it out but don’t have the experience required? 

Right. They do nothing. 

Unbeknownst to Fuze and Jäger standing flushed against each other in the doorway, Mute and Smoke were watching them. 

“Are my eyes deceiving me?” Smoke asked in wonder. This was the first time he actually noticed the love birds were not acting like they usually would. 

“I’ve noticed them being like this for a while… What do you reckon?” Mute whispered back, grinning slightly. 

Smoke watched them and pondered over his answer a while. “I’d say they know.” He said when Fuze and Jäger walked away, each going his own way. They didn’t kiss and they didn’t hug. He returned to look at Mute with a smile. “Cute. I knew it.” 

“But they're still awkward.” Mute returned Smoke's smile. “I think it’s best if we gave them privacy while they can still have it, though. I don’t think anyone else knows yet, but I’m sure Bandit and Kapkan will mess with them as soon as they find out.” 

Smoke nodded thoughtfully. “I think you're right there Mark… Shame, can’t even claim my money yet.” 

“What?” Mute looked confused. 

“The bet on this love game with the others lads, remember?” Smoke smirked. 

 

\-- 

_The women's toilets, two days later, in the middle of the night._

“I say we’ve been idle long enough.” Bandit said resolutely as he lifted the toilet seat of the cubicle he was in and cut off a large sheet of cling film he had ‘borrowed’ from the canteen. 

“I suppose our advice didn’t help, then…” Kapkan said sadly while he opened the soap container next to the sink. 

“Of course not,” Bandit answered. “Fuze has no idea how to handle this. I swear, if it was me, Jäger would already be wrapped around my finger.” He put the cling film over the toilet bowl and lowered the seat again. Someone was going to get wet. 

“Around _your_ finger?” Kapkan chuckled. 

Bandit just shrugged as he lazily emerged from the stall. “He’s kind of started to grow on me. He’s cute and I would be lying if I said he doesn’t have a nice ass.” 

“What about Blitz though?” Kapkan smirked as he emptied the soap container into the sink. Blitz was Bandit's boyfriend, after all, and he wouldn’t like that sudden interest in his best friend at all. Sometimes Kapkan could barely believe Blitz was still putting up with Bandit’s shit. 

The German prankster leaned against the stall and folded his arms. “I wonder if he would object to a threesome…” Bandit actually seemed to be toying with the idea. 

“For real?” Kapkan laughed and picked up the jar of liquid glue that he had put on the floor. “He'd protect his little friend against your dirty little fingers, you cheater.” He smirked. 

“Probably.” Bandit chuckled, amused by the idea. 

“So what should we do about Fuze and Jäger?” Kapkan asked, wanting to get back on topic. He squirted all of the liquid glue into the soap container before he put the lid back on. Kapkan smirked. Someone was going to get sticky fingers. 

The pranksters busied themselves with similar things for a while – like drawing on the mirror, preparing an egg bomb to go off when the first person entered the toilets and putting red paint on the paper towels, to make them look bloodied – while they both thought about the best way to get their two love birds together. It had been long enough since Fuze got interested in Jäger; something should definitely have started to take form by now. How Fuze managed to contain his desire for the smaller man was a miracle to the two. They knew they were close – well, they thought they knew even though the reality was very different – and figured all they needed was to add some tension. You know, lock them up together in a tight space. Or something of the kind. Yes, that would do. 

Bandit and Kapkan finished up in the ladies' bathroom and agreed they had to carry out their plan as fast as possible, which would be the next day. They were confident that this would end the game, and start the relationship between Jäger and Fuze. Excited to put their plan to work, they walked back to their respective quarters to get some sleep before the day would begin. They quarelled over who would take who first on their way. In the end they decided that Jäger would most definitely be bottom as he was smaller and more submissive. They joked about how amateurish their first time would be before they said their goodbyes. 

Oh, if only they knew. 

 

\-- 

_Ground floor of the barracks, at the stairs leading up, the next day._

“Maintenance? What kind of maintenance requires all the stairs around here to be closed?” Fuze grumbled upon seeing the stairs were closed off. A sign, that looked suspiciously make shift, read ‘closed for maintenance'and showed a little stick figure holding a shovel. The red and white tape that was hung up across the rails on either side of the stairs blocked their way. “This tape, why? Was there a murder or something?” Fuze fumed. 

“Relax Shuhrat, we'll just take the lift to get to the workshop.” Jäger said in a calm voice and touched Fuze's arm gently. He blushed slightly as he saw his relatively small hand on the sleeve of Fuze’s t-shirt, his eyes trailing down to his strong bicep. 

“But you don’t like the lift.” Fuze reasoned and looked at the German, worried. 

Jäger stole a glance at the closed metal doors next to them. “It's just a bit cramped in there…” It was a fact Jäger was scared to take the lift. He preferred to take the stairs, using the excuse that the exercise was good for him. But in reality, he was scared of the tiny lifts of Hereford Base and thought they were dangerous; the lift would always sink a bit when one got on and the cables and wires groaned when it was being lifted or lowered. 

“Well, it’s that or not going to the workshop.” Fuze shrugged at him. 

“Alright, let’s just go.” Jäger nodded nervously. He called the lift and sooner than he liked it arrived. It did all the things he hated and was scared of, but he felt slightly more comfortable to have Fuze with him. Never would he take the lift alone. Fuze smiled at Jäger reassuringly as he got on behind him. The doors of the lift closed, and it was carried up. 

“Now, Max, now!” Bandit shouted through his phone, holding it against his ear while he peeked out of his hiding place overlooking the area around the lift. He had seen Fuze and Jäger disappear and heard the lift going up. He got up and cleared the stairs again – people would need to use it again soon… 

“I’m on it, I'm on it!” Kapkan shouted back. It didn’t take long before Bandit heard his voice again. “Done! Stuck near the doors of the second floor, perfect!” 

Bandit laughed. “Alright, let’s get some popcorn and wait for the show then! The system should reset itself within half an hour, you said?” 

“Yep, plenty of time.” Kapkan’s grin could be heard even though Bandit couldn’t see him. “You said sweet little Jäger is afraid of lifts?” 

“Terrified.” Bandit smirked. 

 

\-- 

_Inside the elevator, meanwhile…_

The lift came to a halt with a crash. The doors didn't open. 

Fuze sighed, cursed softly in Russian and turned to look at the control panel. He lazily pressed some buttons, but the lift stayed still and the doors stayed closed. He tried the emergency button, but the lift was so ancient and the communication had probably stopped working long ago. In his mind he imagined a dusty, smelly office where an old phone was ringing, but there was no one to pick it up. Creepy. Turning around, Fuze’s laziness and carelessness about the situation immediately turned to worry as he looked at his Jäger. 

The German stood trembling, holding onto the railing that ran horizontally along the left wall. His knuckles were white, his palms sweaty as they gripped the beam that he hoped would provide some kind of support should they fall. His face was as white as a sheet, his eyes wide open in fear, fixated on the metal doors of the lift, and there was sweat on his forehead. This was his worst nightmare. 

“Hey, hey don’t worry.” Fuze said alarmed, trying to get Jäger's attention. But he didn’t stop trembling, and he didn’t look at Fuze. “Shh, hey,” Fuze tried to comfort him as he got closer and tried to turn his boyfriend to face him, “look at me. Look at me.” 

Jäger's lips were pressed tightly together and he shook his head. Fuze looked at his small frame, his chest heaving up and down as he panicked. It hurt the Uzbek to see him like that, so scared and in distress. He had to do something, but how does one comfort a man so terrified and petrified? 

“Marius.” Fuze simply said, placing his hand softly on Jäger's lower back. 

Finally Jäger moved his head and looked at Fuze. Fear in his eyes unlike the Uzbek had ever seen before. He knew Jäger was a man who could keep his head cool in any situation they were faced with during missions – however a broken lift seemed to be his worst fear. Even his lip trembled now that he looked up, which Fuze thought was pretty cute despite the situation, but he tried to distract the poor German. 

“It's okay, it’s okay.” Fuze said in a soothing voice. The realisation that he had never once before in his life comforted anyone this way, so sincere, was quickly forgotten as Jäger was so dead-scared. He tried to release Jäger’s iron grip on the railing, but all that resulted in was Jäger clamping onto Fuze’s arms, grasping desperately as if he was falling already. “Its okay.” Fuze said again, smiling softly. 

“Shuhrat.” Jäger said, tightening his grip on Fuze’s arms and looking at his boyfriend wide-eyed. “I’m scared.” He whispered. 

“I figured.” Fuze gave him a sympathetic smile and held Jäger’s arms as well. “Don’t worry,” he looked into Jäger’s grey-blue eyes, “I’m here.” _I’m here?_ What, am I fucking superman? Fuze thought. How is that supposed to make him feel better? What should he do? What should he say? He really wanted to comfort Jäger, but how? 

However, that seemed to be exactly what Jäger needed to hear. He stopped trembling and for the first time since they entered the lift, he seemed to actually look at Fuze. His eyes were clear, if not still wide, but they seemed to _see_ Fuze now. “You’re here.” Jäger nodded softly. 

Fuze smiled at him, surprised that that worked. “That’s right. Now, calm down…” He gently pushed Jäger's back against the wall of the lift so he felt support underneath his feet, against his back and on his arms by Fuze. Jäger kept staring at him wide-eyed, wrapping his hands around the Uzbek’s arms. Fuze stood in front of him, so close because of the little space the lift provided, and cupped his cheek gently. The palm of his large hand connected with Jäger’s jaw and his calloused thumb stroked his cheek gently. “It’s okay.” He whispered. 

Jäger's smaller frame started to tremble again as Fuze caressed his cheek. “This is like last time in the pub…” Jäger whispered and his cheeks flushed. “And in the changing rooms…” 

Fuze blushed at the memory, but grinned at Jäger nonetheless. The German had given him an idea. This would be a good way to distract him from his fear… He honestly wanted more of Jäger but he was too afraid to ask. Now would be the perfect moment… “Do you remember those moments well, Marius?” 

Jäger swallowed as he heard Fuze’s low voice. It kept him right here, in reality, and prevented any further thoughts or worries about the broken lift they were trapped in. Had he ever noticed before that the Uzbek's accent sounded so… attractive? When his voice was low and they were close like this? “I do remember them well…” 

“That I did this?” Fuze slid his thumb down from Jäger’s cheek to his lips and felt them. Slightly apart like they had been previous times, Fuze loved those soft, red lips he would soon make his. 

Flushed and unable to utter any more words now, Jäger just nodded and let Fuze touch him. His heart was pounding in his chest, no longer for fear of the lift but now because of Fuze. In the week they had been together, they hadn’t had a moment like this. The kiss in the changing rooms had been the most passionate, and after that they only shared shy kisses, rarely on the mouth. Jäger longed for Fuze to kiss him again, like he had done back then. The soft press of Fuze's body on his, the hand cupping his face and the handsome man looming over him got Jäger so excited. 

“Do you remember what happened after?” Fuze continued lowly, longing to kiss Jäger but also wanting to distract him for as long as possible. If he kept Jäger’s mind on him instead of the broken lift they were in, it would all be fine until the lift would start working again. If it did at all. Fuze had never known he could talk like this, but the necessity to keep Jäger busy suddenly made him into quite the flirt. Maybe Kapkan’s lessons had helped after all? 

Jäger nodded eagerly, aroused at the prospect of being kissed by Fuze and that hot, low accent. Pinned against the wall by the larger man in front of him, Jäger stroked his arms absent-mindedly to urge him on. 

Cupping Jäger’s face with both his hands now, Fuze leaned in. He looked into Jäger's pure, blue-grey eyes that stared straight back into his own. Oh, how long it had taken the German to have the guts to look into Fuze’s eyes instead of shying away… Fuze had always felt resented, but now he adored it. Jäger was so innocent, adorable and pure, it almost felt wrong to touch his smaller, seemingly fragile body. The forbidden fruit. He could feel his soft, warm breath that came in pants, no longer because he was scared, but because of the anticipation. He _wanted_ this. The untouched German wanted to be kissed, touched. _Sinful_. 

Their lips met. And even though both men still didn’t know how to kiss properly, their own lust and arousal got them moving their lips in sync together almost expertly. It was overwhelming, heated, unlike they had ever kissed before. Their hearts pounded in their chests, from the new sensation and the sheer excitement of the unknown feeling. Fuze led the kiss; he played with Jäger’s lips, wanting to taste them while their moment lasted. Jäger moaned softly underneath him, now completely pressed into the wall by Fuze’s heavy body on him. Once Fuze had enough of the simple kissing, he found tasting Jäger with his tongue was just as pleasurable, licking and slipping it inside the German's mouth. The kiss deepened, the groans got louder. 

Pants filled the small confinement. Without fully knowing what he was doing, Fuze placed his knee in between Jäger's legs. The German immediately bucked against it with a needy groan. It surprised Fuze so much, he momentarily stopped kissing him. 

“Marius?” Fuze asked rather dumbfounded, still not able to properly wrap his mind around what just happened. Had his innocent little Jäger really just humped his leg? Upon seeing his face though, Fuze understood. Completely flushed, pupils dilated and lips pink and swollen. _Jäger was horny._

“Shuhrat, I want- I need-“ Jäger was already breathless and could barely stutter any words. His hands were groping Fuze’s arms, trying to tell Fuze what his mouth couldn’t, what he wanted… 

“Can I…?” Fuze didn’t even dare to say it himself. So exciting, so new, so inexperienced. His eyes trailed down Jäger's body, rested on his crotch momentarily before he looked into Jäger's hungry face again. 

Jäger bit his lip when he watched Fuze's eyes wander down his body, so suggestive, so hungry for what was under his clothes. It made him buck into Fuze's knee again, unsure if he was supposed to do that but enjoying the friction nonetheless as he nodded and thus allowed his lover to continue. 

Smirking, Fuze slid his right hand down from where it had been caressing Jäger's soft cheeks. It had never done that before – touching the German anywhere else than his face and arms, if you didn't count the time he had fondled Jäger's ass while he slept. And now he was finally able – allowed – to touch... Over Jäger's chest his hand went, where he thought he could feel his heart thumping, along the hard lines of his abdomen and down to his crotch. The tight jeans Jäger always wore probably made him feel very uncomfortable, and Fuze mused about the idea of his boner being trapped in there as he placed his hand on the bulge. 

If possible, Jäger started to breath even faster when Fuze unzipped his trousers. 

"Marius, relax." Fuze said softly. He didn't want Jäger to pass out because of the tension, not now he was so close... 

"I- I'm okay..." Jäger breathed as he bucked his hips once more. "I just... I- I've wanted this for so long..." 

Taken aback by Jäger's sudden lustful voice, Fuze paused momentarily. First of all, _Jäger_ has been wanting this for a long time? The innocent man who didn't even seem capable of thinking of any dirty things at all, had been fantasizing about this for a long time? Fuze hadn't seen that one coming. And second, that voice made Fuze's knees feel weak. His German accent, which was slipping through his tongue more and more now he was tuned on, combined with his low and husky voice aroused Fuze. And thirdly... 

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this as well..." Fuze said with a smirk. 

Jäger gasped when Fuze pulled his member out, his warm hand wrapped around it immediately feeling like everything he had expected and more. He was ready to just thrust his hips while Fuze held him, but he was unexperienced and unconfident so he stayed still and let Fuze guide. Fuze would know what to do, Fuze would lead him... _Everything was just like in his imagination..._

With his hand around Jäger's dick, which he could feel pulsing under his fingers, Fuze first savored the moment and the feeling. He was really holding Jäger in his hand. Oh, the dirty thoughts he's had about this exact moment... ...Were shattered when he found he didn't know what to do. How do you jerk off another guy? How gentle was he supposed to be? How fast was he supposed to go? What was Jäger expecting? _Fuck._

Comforting himself with the fact that he only had to keep Jäger distracted from being scared of the broken lift, Fuze tried to think straight. Best he could do was stroke Jäger like he would stroke himself. Right? And so Fuze started out slow, to get Jäger used to the feeling. He earned a shaky gasp from the German, who closed his eyes and seemed to tighten his grip on Fuze's forearms more and more by the minute. By the way Jäger reacted, Fuze realised he was a bomb of sexual tension that would explode in his hand sooner rather than later. The thought amused him, and he started to pump faster. 

Soft moans escaped Jäger's lips. He forced himself to watch, even though the feeling Fuze gave him was so good he wanted to keep his eyes closed and enjoy it to the fullest. But he wanted to watch Fuze's hand wrapped around his dick, moving up and down and stimulating him. His rough hand, that Jäger couldn't get enough of watching in the workshop. Handling heavy equipment, holding tools, working on tiny details... Fuze was good at working with his hands, not only doing heavy work but also in other situations, it seemed. Jäger also loved his fingers, that worked so efficiently and precisely every time he worked on his Matryoshka or helped Jäger with his ADS, and now were sliding over the length of his dick, his thumb teasing the slit from time to time... Jäger was soon out of breath. Whenever he stroked himself, he was so concentrated and purposeful. He did it to release stress and because he enjoyed it. This – This was different. Jäger had absolutely no control of his hips that thrusted into Fuze's palm now to seek that delicious friction, his voice, that moaned unintelligible things at which Fuze would smirk, his breathing, that came heavy and uneven, and his brains, that seemed to explode by the heavenly feeling Fuze gave him. 

Of course, Fuze felt his own boner pressing against his trousers angrily, impatient and needy. As his half-lidded eyes scanned Jäger's delicious face for the umpteenth time and Fuze imagined how his parted, swollen lips would look around his shaft, he was fully aware he was precumming and probably staining his boxers. Maybe – maybe they would get to that. Later. Fuze groaned lowly at the thought and he doubled his efforts stroking Jäger's erection. He loved how his simple actions got the German to this state: breathless, moaning and eyes glazed. It seemed like he had spoken the truth when he said he had been waiting long for this. He was completely overwhelmed by every touch. 

Fuze stroked fast, pumping over his full length. Jäger couldn't keep up anymore. His thrusts became messy, his head was feeling light because he couldn't control his breathing and his throat started to hurt from moaning. But most important of all – his dick was throbbing and he was close, oh so close. And Fuze stroked him so wonderfully, maybe a bit too rough to what Jäger was used to but... He found he didn't mind it so much. Everything with Fuze was rougher than he was used to, and he found he kind of liked that. Fuze was so strong, manly and careless, it had Jäger's head spinning. He was head over heels with the tough Uzbek operator. 

Groaning Fuze's name as a warning – that came too late - Jäger came... 

 

\-- 

_The hall in front of the lift on the second floor, meanwhile..._

“A tenner if Fuze is on his knees sucking him off.” Smoke smirked, sitting on the stairs next to the lift. 

“Nah-ah. It will be the other way around. Fuze will definitely be the dominant one in this relationship.” Kapkan had a lot of faith in his comrade. "I bet Jäger's got a mouth full of cock. What do you think, Dom?" Kapkan nudged the German, who was sitting on the floor next to him. 

“Why are we betting on blowjobs? I bet Fuze has got Jäger bent over, fucking that sweet ass.” Bandit grinned, leaning back against the stone-hard wall. 

“Watch it, Dom.” Blitz gave his boyfriend a stern look and folded his arms where he stood waiting. 

Bandit and Kapkan’s little joke had gotten quite a lot of attention. Apart from the two pranksters sitting and waiting on the dusty floor in front of the lift, Smoke had joined, along with a very displeased Mute and Blitz. Glaz was there too, leaning against the wall and pretending not to care while he was secretly amused with what could be happening inside that tiny lift right now. IQ and Ash had walked past, but upon hearing what Kapkan and Bandit were up to with Fuze and Jäger, they had walked off furiously without speaking a word. 

“I don’t think they're doing anything sexual. Those boys have no idea how to.” Tachanka was there too. Because where’s betting, there’s Tachanka. He looked sour, still annoyed with the fact he was wrong about Fuze liking girls in their first bet. 

“They don’t?” Pulse piped up. He was there too, amused and trying to joke along. Only, nobody paid him much mind. 

“I’d be surprised if they even knew how to kiss…” Mute folded his arms and shook his head. His attempts to keep Jäger and Fuze's relationship a secret were about to be shattered… 

“Oh.” Pulse replied. 

"Don't say that! I've been instructing Fuze how to flirt these past weeks." Kapkan said proudly. 

"Flirting is not the same as kissing, you idiot." Mute countered, annoyed. 

"Should I have instructed Fuze on how to kiss his little Jäger too? I don't think I would be allowed." Kapkan looked at Glaz playfully, who shook his head amused. He knew his boyfriend wouldn't do such a thing, but merely played with the idea to make Glaz jealous. 

"Aww man, good idea. I'll instruct Jäger." Bandit, who liked the idea a little too much to Blitz' liking, grinned mischievously. 

"You keep away from Marius." Blitz was not as amused as Glaz, basically because he knew Bandit was crazy enough to actually do it. 

"Told you he'd break all your fingers if you touched Jägerchen." Kapkan laughed at Bandit, the German pronunciation of the silly nickname for Jäger sounding odd on his Russian tongue. 

"Do they need advice?" Pulse was doing his best to keep up with the conversation. 

"Nothing you have to bother with, Pulse." Smoke waved him off. 

"If they're actually touching each other's willies in there, I'm not sure if I can ever look at them again." Tachanka shook his head. Never would the big Russian understand why men would like men instead of women. 

"Maybe _you_ need some willy touching, then you'll know what we're on about here." Bandit chuckled his dirty little joke, at which Kapkan and Smoke laughed out loud, Tachanka looked rather offended, Blitz and Mute scoffed, Glaz just grinned and Pulse, trying to catch up, said 'oh'. This was the exact moment when the operators gathered outside the lift heard a broken _ding!_. Silence fell immediately, everyone's full attention drawn to the metal doors. 

Creaking, the doors slid open slowly. Everybody held their breath. 

All they could see in the little lift, was Fuze's broad back towering over someone who could only be Jäger. Still shielding the German with his body, Fuze looked over his shoulder and saw, to his horror, half the base gathered in front of their broken lift. The expression on his face went from horrified and shocked to angry and furious real quick when his eyes landed on a wide-grinning Kapkan and Bandit. He looked back at Jäger (possibly to make sure he had tucked himself back in his trousers) before he turned around, wiping his hand on his shirt casually. There was quite an obvious stain on it already. 

Fuze got out of the lift menacingly, striding over to Kapkan and Bandit, who now got up. Jäger fled out of the lift, but upon seeing all the others staring at him as if he had just given a speech, he kind of wanted to flee back in. He didn't though, and just froze on the spot. His eyes darted to Fuze, who stood in front of the pranksters by now, before they landed on Blitz. The sight of his best friend had always comforted him, but now he somehow felt embarrassed. 

"Did you wank him off?" Kapkan asked with a smirk before Fuze could say anything (or hit anyone). 

Without waiting for an answer, Bandit asked: "Can we say you're official then?" 

Fuze stood dumbfounded, not sure if he should speak or punch, when Mute answered that question for him: "If you had paid a little more attention, you would have known they were already together." 

Fuze turned to Mute momentarily, surprised and speechless. Mute just shrugged. 

"But I guess you could say they're pretty official now." Smoke grinned, and that was all Bandit and Kapkan heard. They cheered, high-fived, bro-hugged and went on and on about how their sacrifices finally paid off. They patted Fuze on the back and wouldn't listen to him when he said they had already been together for a week. According to them, Fuze had to thank them for giving him the opportunity to get frisky with Jäger. Then they hugged Jäger, saying he was a big boy now and laughed when the smaller German's cheeks flushed. 

"Guess we can pay off that bet now, right? Who were there that night? Sledge owes me money." Bandit was overexcited. 

"Alex loses all his savings." Kapkan laughed out loud, pointing at a very annoyed Tachanka. 

Mute just shook his head, feeling sorry for the new couple. To Smoke's disappointment, Mute wasn't even happy his boyfriend had won money in the bet. Blitz came over to Jäger to calm him down and comfort him, and tell him there was absolutely nothing wrong with whatever had happened inside the lift. Glaz simply watched the whole scene, amused and proud of his boy Fuze. Finally he had told Jäger about his feelings, were it last week or now. Pulse was excited too, but he was pretty much ignored by the rest. 

When all the commotion quietened down a little and Kapkan, Bandit and Smoke had left to collect their money from the other betters, Mute had left with Glaz and Blitz and Tachanka pulled Pulse along to finally give the two love birds some privacy, Fuze turned around to face Jäger. 

Fuze was blushing unlike Jäger had ever seen before, and he still looked like he was unsure whether he should punch someone or keep cool. By talking with Blitz, Jäger had overcome his embarrassment slightly, although he still felt a little nervous. It had been such a wonderful, heated moment in the lift, they were both disappointed it had ended like this. What would they have done when they finally arrived in the workshop and Fuze still had a raging erection? Unfortunately they would never know, as the rude interruption of the other ops had taken away their moment. 

Fuze walked over to Jäger. He sighed and finally smiled at his boyfriend while he cupped his face once more. Jäger smiled back before he was kissed. No longer hot and needy, this kiss was gentle and loving. It only lasted a few seconds. 

"I- I love you Shuhrat." Jäger heard himself say in a whisper. It was what he had been thinking for the past hour, but now he finally dared to voice it. 

Fuze stroked his jawline and looked into his eyes, a kind smile playing on his lips that Jäger had rarely seen before. It was a smile specially reserved just for him. "I love you too Marius." Fuze answered quietly. 

"Shuhrat?" 

"Hmm?" 

Jäger shuffled a little under Fuze's touch, not daring to meet his beautiful hazel eyes now. "Maybe next time, do you think we can...?" _We can what?_ Jäger didn't really know what he wanted to say, but he knew it involved a little more than a handjob – that, to be fair, had already been glorious. 

Luckily, Fuze understood. "Yeah, we can." 

The fact that they had no idea _how to_ didn't really matter at that moment. For now they enjoyed each other's presence and cherished the moment they had just shared.


	11. Chapter 11

Fuze didn’t even need to punish Kapkan and Bandit for tampering with the lift, and endangering the lifes of their fellow operators in the process. When Thatcher heard what happened, he decided things were getting out of hand and sought the help of Six and her officers. In the hope they’d learn, she had discharged the two pranksters of their duties for three days. They were forbidden to be in a range of 5 km to the base. And thus the base was strangely quiet and peaceful. 

Kapkan and Bandit had taken the news badly, pleading Six to have mercy on them and promising that they would behave from now on. But being a stern, righteous woman, Six had sent them away anyway. Glaz had been highly amused upon hearing his boyfriend was finally punished and would be away for the next couple of days, while Kapkan objected with the fact they wouldn’t get any ‘alone time’ for three days either. Glaz had only smirked at Kapkan, whispering that that would only make their next time even better. Kapkan asked something along the lines of a punishment, but Glaz would speak no more. Blitz was less happy. He told a pouting Bandit that it was his own fault that they wouldn’t see each other for a few days. When Bandit asked if Blitz would at least keep an eye on Jäger, Blitz got angry. He would _not_ meddle in his best friend's love life like Bandit had done. Bandit pointed to the fact that their smaller teammate was inexperienced, but Blitz would hear nothing of it. Still, they parted ways with a hug and a kiss; Blitz could never truly be angry with his boyfriend. 

Jäger expressed his happiness that Bandit would be gone for a few days to Fuze; he was still slightly scared of the prankster from time to time. Fuze had merely given Kapkan a death stare when the Russian had left the base with Bandit. With their bags packed and slung over their shoulders, the two casually walked off and left the base. 

Within these three days, however, lots of things happened that actually could have been avoided if Bandit and Kapkan had been present to give instructions. Unfortunately they weren’t, and the new couple was too eager and impatient to wait for real, proper advice… 

 

\-- 

_The living room, on the first day of the pranksters’ punishment._

From the door he saw him sitting on one of the old sofas, all by himself. Strange, he was usually accompanied by his friends. It was an odd time for him as well, far past his usual bed time. He had never seen him here at this time of the day, nearly midnight. He was focused on his phone and seemed to have no attention for anything else. Not even for the soft creaking of the floor as he got closer. No, he didn’t even notice when he looked over the man's shoulder, seeing what he was looking at on his phone. 

Some dodgy page that tried to look like Wikipedia. So he’s trying to get information? On what? The letters were too small for him to see, but a picture told him more than all the words on the website. It was a picture of various stick figures, always in twos. They were examples of positions. 

_Sex positions._

He chuckled softly, making the man on the sofa jump. Turning around, he was faced with Fuze's angry shocked face. 

“Pulse!” Fuze barked. “What the fuck are you doing here?!” 

He looked like a man caught in the act; his cheeks flushed and his eyes open wide. 

Pulse merely chuckled again. “Do you need some help?” He nodded with his head to the phone in Fuze’s hand. The screen was turned off by now. 

“No!” Fuze followed his gaze and looked at his phone, his cheeks turning even more red. “You… Help?” He didn’t dare to meet Pulse's eyes. “What do you know?” 

“More than you, from what I gathered from your friends.” Pulse smiled. “Have I never told you that I-“ 

“I don’t really believe you ever had a threesome with a guy and a chick, Pulse. I’m sorry.” Fuze scoffed. 

Pulse shrugged. “Suit yourself. But I can give you some advice, if you want.” 

Looking up in the creepily smirking face of Pulse, Fuze waited for more. Was this idiot worth listening to, or should he just walk away? He knew he should’ve locked himself in the toilet while looking for information on how to have gay sex; he should have expected someone to walk in. But at this time of the evening? Why did Pulse stalk him like that? 

Seeing as Fuze didn’t storm off, Pulse took a seat next to him on the sofa. The Uzbek immediately shuffled out of his way and kept looking at him suspiciously. Pulse grinned when he spoke: “You won’t find the information you want on pages like these. This stuff is for amateurs. You want to impress that German, don’t you? You need to fuck him in the right position, or he'll never want to get naked with you again.” 

Fuze looked disgusted when the American said the word “fuck”. Somehow it sounded creepy coming from that nearly-bald guy. But it was true he wanted to impress Jäger on their first time. He had turned to the internet in a desperate attempt to get some information on how it's done – he didn’t dare to ask anyone else. How awkward would that be, and how stupid if they would find out he didn’t know how to have sex. He wanted to be prepared and he wanted to know a good position. Never once did he think about the fact that they should take it slow. 

Smug with the fact that Fuze was actually listening to him, Pulse shuffled a little closer. “Well, you better listen to me. I know _exactly_ how you’ll get Jäger a moaning mess.” He winked and Fuze couldn’t help the small grin playing on his lips at the thought. That’s what he wanted. Make Jäger moan in pleasure. 

Pulse happily continued: “Listen, and take notes…” 

 

\-- 

_The workshop , on the second day of the pranksters' absence._

Thinking it would be hard to catch this man on his own, he was surprised to find him alone in the workshop, of all places. Usually Fuze was with him in here, always. But it seemed the Uzbek had other things on his mind; in fact, no one had seen him all day. And thus his next target sat alone. 

He worked on his device. Although, he didn’t really work. He sat gazing at it, his eyes staring into the distance and his mind a mile away. Probably in Fuze’s bedroom. Who knows. 

“What’s up Jäger? Are your tools too heavy?” He smirked, making his presence known. Jäger nearly fell off his seat; he was so startled by the sudden intrusion of his daydreaming. He looked up, a flush spreading on his cheeks. 

“Pulse? What…” Embarrassed, Jäger couldn’t utter any words. 

“Having a nice little think?” Pulse asked as he took a seat next to Jäger, getting a bit too familiar with him to Jäger's liking. The German looked at him suspiciously. Could the American know what he was thinking about? “How does it happen in your imagination?” 

In his imagination? Jäger blushed. In his imagination he was doing all sorts of things with Fuze’s manhood, but he wouldn’t tell Pulse that. No way. “W-what?” Jäger stuttered innocently. 

“You know, your first private time with Fuze. I know you’re thinking about that. I can see it.” Pulse winked. 

“You can?” Jäger asked fearfully, hiding his blushing face with his hands. 

Of course Pulse couldn’t really. He just guessed. And he had guessed right. “It's written all over your face Jäger.” Pulse chuckled. “But don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. Because I have come to give you some advice.” 

“Advice?” Jäger repeated, confused. What could this freak ever give him advice on? 

“Yes, if you want it, of course. I mean, I have experience. Did I ever tell you that-“ 

Jäger snorted immediately, knowing Pulse was about to brag about that threesome again he never had. When the American looked offended, Jäger excused himself weakly. He realised that, indeed, he did not have any experience regarding _the deed_ as he kept calling it in his head, and maybe Pulse had something useful to say? Maybe the American meant well? Jäger reasoned that he should listen to Pulse because he knew nothing of pleasuring someone else either. 

“You keep laughing. It did happen, unlike everybody thinks.” Pulse folded his arms. “And with that experience, I can tell you exactly how you can satisfy Fuze. That’s what you want to hear, isn’t it?” 

Jäger nodded shyly, his cheeks bright red. He did want to treat Fuze. He wanted to make him feel good, but he didn’t exactly know how. He supposed he would be alright giving him a hand job as well, but really he was up for something more… arousing. Something that involved his mouth. And Pulse knew. 

“Then listen to me, and you’ll give that man the best orgasm he’s ever had.” Pulse said smugly and Jäger’s face flushed more and more. He really wanted to do that to Fuze. He wanted it to be a moment he never forgot. “Now, don’t interrupt me and learn from the master…” 

 

\-- 

_Fuze's bedroom, during lunchtime on the third day of the pranksters punishment._

“So Glaz won’t walk in? And Tachanka?” Jäger asked fearfully, standing in the doorway of Fuze's bedroom rubbing his hands together nervously. Fuze himself was inside getting everything ready. Lube, condoms, his bed… Jäger was afraid. In the first place of being caught; he thought Glaz would go easy on them but he had to admit he was a little scared of Tachanka (always had been). Even though what they were about to do is considered perfectly normal in a relationship, Jäger felt like they had to be secretive about it. Like nobody should know. Secondly he was nervous for what was about to happen. He had no experience and could only hope Fuze would take the lead. Because if not, things were going to get awkward. Thirdly he felt unsure of his own little plan. Pulse had given him a _very_ detailed instruction – a little bit too detailed to his liking – but he was afraid he would fuck it up. What if he wasn’t good at it? 

“We always go down to the range after lunch. They won’t be back for a long time.” Fuze answered and he turned around to face Jäger. He had been wanting to do this for so long, he wasn’t going to let Glaz and Tachanka ruin their fun. Fuze let his eyes wander of Jäger's body – still clothed – and looked forward to what was about to happen. Jäger looked insecure, but he was going to help that. He was going to let him see how good it could be. Although, he hoped he would. All his preparation came from the internet and Pulse's shady advice. Fuze hated to rely on others, but he had to trust them now. He knew nothing of gay sex apart from the principle. Butt sex. 

“But won’t they notice we're missing?” Jäger asked, still feeling insecure about the whole ordeal. 

Fuze walked over to his boyfriend and laughed. “Stop worrying so much, Marius.” He reached behind Jäger and pulled the door close, making the German jump into him to avoid being squashed. Fuze grinned as they now stood chest to chest, Jäger's flushed face inches from his own. “Let us have fun, hmm?” Fuze said as he cupped Jäger's face with one hand and put his other hand on his hip. 

Jäger froze under his touch and looked into Fuze’s eyes. There was something about them he had rarely seen before, and it took him a while before he realised what it was. His eyes were dark, his pupils dilated. A small smile started to form on his lips. “Are you sure?” 

“Definitely.” And with that Fuze crashed his lips onto Jäger's, clumsily but a lot more professional than their first attempts. Jäger kissed back immediately; letting himself get carried away by Fuze’s possessive lips. He placed his hands on Fuze’s back, stroking and feeling the hard muscles under the thin fabric of his shirt. Fuze move his hand from Jäger's cheek to the back of his head and pulled him closer to deepen the kiss. Groaning softly into his mouth, the German clung on to his shirt as Fuze let his lips dance over his own. It was soft, it was sweet, but it was hot. Fuze soon entered Jäger’s mouth, feeling him suck on his tongue and battling it with his own. The Uzbek loved that Jäger no longer held back anymore and stopped being shy as they kissed, but instead enjoyed it and shared the passion. Still, it overwhelmed Jäger slightly and after a minute they broke apart reluctantly to catch their breaths. 

Fuze smirked as he backed off a little to pull his shirt off over his head. Jäger just gaped at him, at his handsome smirking face, at his strong upper body that was now revealed and at his muscles as he stood there leaning against the door, slightly out of breath. Loving Jäger's stare and pink cheeks, Fuze slowly unbuckled his trousers, undid them and slid them down his legs, never breaking eye contact with the German. But Jäger's eyes had a hard time to keep staring at Fuze’s dark pupils as he stood admiring the little show in front of him. Fuze stripping out of his clothes was probably the hottest thing he’d ever seen and his eyes travelled up and down his muscled body quickly, feverishly trying to imprint the image on his mind and making him feel dizzy. But he had to see it all, he had to take in this sight. He longed to touch the perfect broad body, only covered by his boxers now, and he longed to be under it, _taken_ by it. When Fuze decided Jäger had had enough time to stare, he reached out and took his hand. Jäger's breath hitched in his throat as the Uzbek pulled him along towards his bed. They were really going to do this. 

Sitting down on the hard mattress only in his black boxers, Fuze pulled Jäger on his lap. The German nervously sat down, muscles tense as he sat facing Fuze's lazy smirk. It was strange to sit so close to his boyfriend, facing him fully and having no way to turn aside or avoid his eyes. He felt unconfident; he had never liked looking at people directly. He was shy, even for Fuze. Although he thought he had been getting better at keeping eye contact with him over the last few days, Jäger still felt exposed. That, and the fact he was a complete and utter virgin, made Jäger feel uncomfortable. 

“Stop hiding from me, Marius. I love you.” Fuze said softly. In an effort to comfort him, Fuze held his smaller frame, stroking his sides softly. Jäger mumbled a reply that sounded like ‘I love you too', but he still felt nervous. Fuze smiled gently as he leaned in to kiss his boyfriend again. Jäger felt the stress flowing out of his body when Fuze’s warm lips were upon him again. He allowed the Uzbek to caress him and kiss him soothingly as he tried not to think about the job he had to do. Would Fuze like it? As nervous as he was, he wanted to do this. 

The kiss soon turned more longingly and Fuze's hands slipped under Jäger's shirt as they went to search for hot skin. And hot skin they found, because Jäger's heart was pounding in his chest and his head was swimming already. Fuze now kissed like he _owned_ Jäger while he pulled his shirt up in an attempt to remove it. Jäger tried to continue kissing back, but he froze. The nervousness returned. He had to undress for Fuze now. 

They broke the kiss and Fuze lifted Jäger's shirt over his head effortlessly. His eyes roved over the skin of the smaller frame, which was well-built for someone who enjoyed keeping in shape so much. But… The revealed skin did not immediately fuel his desire. Better yet, Fuze was aghast by what he saw. 

Burns. 

Burns on Jäger's light skin. Streaks and lashes, violently disrupting the soft flesh. Some were small, some were larger, but they were all obviously scars. Fuze looked at them in confusion. What was this? It looked like Jäger had been tortured. Fuze opened his mouth as if to say something, but he couldn’t utter a word. Who had hurt his Jäger and had the fucker been made to pay for it? 

Shifting uncomfortably under Fuze’s eyes, Jäger wanted to do nothing more than cover his body again. The scars that maimed his skin were a memory Bandit had left on his body when they were stil in GSG9. Jäger had been terrified of Bandit back then, the prankster terrorised the base until Blitz managed to tame him. The torturing had been a revoltuous act of Bandit, showing that he was still dangerous and Blitz had no power over him. Jäger had later heard Blitz beat the prankster for what he had done, and he knew he had been punished. Still, the burns reminded Jäger that he was weak. He hated them and he was ashamed of them. He should have known Fuze would be shocked to see them. Reaching for his shirt that was still in his boyfriend's hand, Jäger wanted to put it on again to hide himself. 

Fuze noticed in time, snapping back to reality as his eyes turned from horrified to furious. He tossed Jäger's shirt in the corner of his room, out of their reach while he said: “No.” He held Jäger's arms and asked with clenched jaws: “Who did this?” 

“It was just a prank by Bandit, nothing to worry about.” Jäger said quickly, hiding his own pain. But Fuze wouldn’t have it. 

“Nothing to worry about? You look like you’ve been tortured! That asshole will pay.” Fuze said resolutely. The only thing that kept the Uzbek from jumping up and running out – even tough Bandit wasn’t even in the base – was Jäger sitting on his lap. 

“No no, it’s alright. He- he later saved my life and could’ve lost his own in the process, so I think…” Jäger tried to explain and even defend Bandit. 

Fuze snorted. “I don't believe a word of that.” 

“It’s true!” Jäger exclaimed. “But please stay here, let’s continue… Please, Shuhrat…” If Fuze couldn’t beat Bandit up, Jäger was afraid Blitz would be made to pay, because he was the indirect cause for his burns. And he didn’t want his best friend beaten up. So Jäger held Fuze's arms and placed his hands on his upper legs. “Please.” Jäger pleaded, his voice a whisper. 

Fuze looked at his hands, close to Jäger's crotch, before he looked at Jäger's face. His pupils were big and he gave Fuze a sort of puppy look that made the Uzbek want to stay right there and play with this little pup. He guessed Jäger was right; he shouldn’t let that loser named Bandit ruin his first time with his boyfriend. “Okay…” Fuze finally whispered back, pulling Jäger closer to kiss his forehead. He would still make Bandit pay for what he had done. No doubt about that. But later. Right now, all his attention should be on the man in front of him. He was too horny to stop now anyway. He wanted Jäger, the rest would come later. 

Holding his breath, Jäger watched as Fuze undid his trousers. Of course he had also done so a few days ago, but it still excited Jäger. He hurriedly got up to take them off, but he didn’t sit back on Fuzes lap again. Instead, he knelt between Fuze's legs. The Uzbek stared at him questioningly for a moment, but he didn’t say anything. Jäger had to distract Fuze from his scars. He looked from Fuze's calm, smiling face down his toned body. His eyes followed the trail of dark hairs from his belly to the semi-boner hidden by boxers. He was curious what Fuze's would look like, as he knew not every man had the same penis. Was he big? Was he long? With greedy hands, Jäger started to pull Fuze’s boxers down to reveal- 

Oh. 

Jäger's eyes widened upon the sight. He was big. And he was long. Jäger would be lying if he said he didn’t feel a pang of embarrassment over his own significantly smaller penis. He also gulped – _how was that…_ Jäger eyed Fuze’s erection with astonishment, _ever going to fit…_ Jäger looked a bit worried now, _basically anywhere?_

Fuze sat waiting patiently and smirked at Jäger’s reaction upon seeing his member. He was aware – and was secretly pretty proud – of his size. He already couldn’t wait to feel it fill Jäger's tight ass, but for now he controlled his desires. He thought he knew what the German was going to do (which was quite obvious as his nose was nearly touching his dick, so close) and Fuze wouldn’t want to miss that. He just gave Jäger the time to get used to the sight. 

A sight that was rather impressive to Jäger. He swallowed nervously as he decided right then and there that the thick cock would never be able to fit in his mouth fully, and would probably tear his ass apart completely. Still, he wanted to continue with his plan, wanted to give Fuze a blowjob as Pulse had instructed him, so he positioned himself even closer to the Uzbek's large hard-on. 

A pleasuring chill went down Fuze’s spine as Jäger got even closer and he could feel the man’s warm breath on his dick. To encourage him, Fuze put his hand on Jäger’s head gently. A lazy grin spread across Fuze’s lips as he watched Jäger, his forbidden fruit, trying to decide how best to suck him off. Jäger glanced at him for reassurance before he started to lean closer. Fuze suppressed a groan and felt his dick twitch with anticipation. Jäger was going so slow, Fuze was afraid his hips would soon buck up and he would thrust his dick into his mouth. Those red, parted lips just looked too irresistible. 

Their soft touch on the head of his dick had Fuze gasping for air. It felt so good as Jäger gently kissed it slowly, and Fuze had to will himself not to start rocking his hips. He wanted to thrust into this feeling, but he knew Jäger wouldn’t be up for that. No, better give him time. 

Jäger let his lips, and not much later his tongue, roll over the tip of the thick muscle in front of him. He did as Pulse had instructed him – pretend it’s ice cream – and he moved his mouth like he would when he enjoyed an ice cream. However, this was the biggest ice cream he’d ever had, and it wasn’t ice cold either. It was warm, and it did not taste sweet as his favourite flavours did. Jäger pulled back a bit and licked his lips, tasting the strange salty taste of precum. Yes, definitely nothing like ice cream. Thanks Pulse. But Fuze groaned continuously, stroking his scalp gently with his thumb, so Jäger figured he was doing _something_ right. 

And he was. Sexual tension was building up inside Fuze’s lower stomach, an explosive feeling he desperately tried to keep under control. Fuze had to hold his breath as Jäger continued teasing the head of his dick, not yet daring to venture further down. He wanted to thrust so badly, wanted to see his length disappearing down Jäger’s throat. But he had to keep his head cool. Don’t push him, don’t hurt him, but _oh god_ Jäger's pure and sincere kisses and soft sucking on the most sensitive part of his member was driving him insane. For someone without experience, Jäger was doing a wonderful job. 

This wasn’t so bad. It wasn’t like ice cream, but when Fuze’s dick was wet with his spit like this, it was a very pleasurable thing to have in his mouth. He sucked softly while he let his tongue run over the soft, slippery piece of flesh. He heard Fuze panting above him and felt him tense up multiple times underneath him. His groans were low and soft as he praised Jäger for the good job he was doing. That encouraged the German, and he started to slide his lips further and further down. The further he went, the louder Fuze’s groans became. He even started thrusting into Jäger’s mouth slightly, which had Jäger gagging for a moment. Fuze immediately stopped, frustrated but not wanting to cause his boyfriend any discomfort, so instead he returned to controlling his raging erection. 

This was going pretty well. Jäger felt more and more comfortable with Fuze’s dick in his mouth, and he was starting to feel confident. He could hear by Fuze’s breathing that he was close, and he knew he’d have to carry out the rest of his plan before the Uzbek came. And thus, he remembered what Pulse had said: 

Teeth. Some rough biting would totally send Fuze right over the edge. 

And so, Jäger started biting. 

Fuze inhaled sharply, let out a surprised, pained moan and tensed up completely. He pulled back, trying to push Jäger away while he tried to protect his cock. “Ah- Marius, stop for a minute, please…” He panted. 

Obediently, Jäger did as he was asked. He looked at Fuze, confused as to why Fuze wanted to stop. It had been going well, hadn’t it? But Pulse's master plan hadn't worked. A trail of saliva connected his swollen, red lips to Fuze’s wet cock. He was baffled. Why didn’t Fuze like his biting? According to Pulse, it was supposed to give him an 'intense sensation of pure pleasure'. Then why did Fuze not seem to enjoy it? Had he done something wrong? 

“Let's uh, take a break? I shouldn’t cum yet, we still have more to do.” Fuze grinned weakly. He tried to assess the damage Jäger had inflicted to his precious member - although he wasn't very subtle about it. Worried, Fuze looked at the bite marks along his shaft, but at least his German hadn't drawn any blood. 

Jäger nodded, lost in thought, and Fuze pulled him back on his lap. "Did you not like it?" The German asked innocently as he looked into the handsome face of Fuze. 

"I did!" Fuze hastily said, not wanting to discourage Jäger. "I did... until you started biting." He added, feeling awkward about it but not wanting Jäger to repeat it the next time he decided to attempt sucking his dick. Fuck, Jäger had been doing it so well, why had he decided he should use his teeth? 

"Oh..." Jäger's voice trailed off and he looked at his lap, ashamed. "Okay." 

"Hey," Fuze pulled Jäger's head back up by his chin, and looked into his shy grey eyes, "I loved what you were doing..." He smiled at the German to reassure him and stroked his skin softly. His other hand ventured down and gently groped Jäger's own bulge. "Why don't we go on?" 

Jäger's uncertainties vanished like ice in the sun when Fuze's strong hand touched him and he heard his low voice. How that voice – and especially, that accent – was able to turn him on from interested to full erection, Jäger didn't know, but his dick twitched in his boxers. The lazy smirk playing on those perfect lips probably helped as well. "Yeah..." Jäger heard himself say, his voice a pitch lower than he was used to; it was almost a groan. 

Grinning at Jäger's desire, Fuze continued touching him. He closed the little distance between their faces and crashed his lips upon the German's again, tasting a hint of himself. Jäger gasped and moaned, rocking his hips into Fuze's touch like he had done when they were trapped in the lift a few days ago. He was needy, and he wasn't good at hiding that. Fuze loved it. 

With Fuze's hungry lips on his and his groping hand slipping inside his briefs, Jäger was starting to have a hard time to keep his head together. He panted, was out of breath every time Fuze allowed him a short time to breath and felt his dick throbbing as the Uzbek touched it. He had never done anything like this; the only hand that had ever been on his penis, was his own. Now it was Fuze's hand, and like in the lift, it was overwhelming. Especially the thought that soon they were actually going to go further than before, had Jäger's head going wild. He wanted to do it, with Fuze, but he was also nervous. Would sex be as good as everybody always said, or was it overrated? 

Only allowing Jäger the minimum amount of time he needed to discard his briefs, Fuze let go of him momentarily as he watched his German get fully naked. Jäger seemed a bit uncomfortable when his last piece of clothing hit the floor. He shyly glanced at Fuze's erection and seemed to want to cover his own with his hands. Fuze wouldn't let him. "C'mere." Fuze smirked as he grabbed Jäger's hands and pulled his smaller body on his lap again. Jäger chuckled nervously, a sound that got lost in a loud moan when Fuze returned his hand to his member. With the briefs gone, the Uzbek could stroke a lot more purposefully. 

If he thought he had been losing his head before, Jäger was sure he'd definitely pass out now. Fuze stroked much harder than he had done in the lift, leaving Jäger moaning and breathless. His doubts about his own size were basically pushed out of his mind by the feeling Fuze was giving him. The Uzbek's other hand was squeezing his ass by now, kneading and feeling his cheeks while he groaned softly. The touch made Jäger jerk upwards sometimes, looking for friction. He had never thought Fuze's touch would feel so heavenly. Jäger had never been one to last long – not that he had ever had a reason to – but he knew he wouldn't last much longer now. 

But at that moment, Fuze decided it was time. He released Jäger's pulsing dick and got his things closer: the condoms and the lube. Now it was time to work his plan; and adapt the advice Pulse had given him. He was still a bit unsure about the American's help, but as he didn't know anything about the deed, he had decided to listen to the bald man. Apart from his advice to fuck Jäger without preparation, though. Because this was their first time and Fuze wasn't the smallest, he figured some preparations were definitely needed. And so he lubed his index finger while he was watched by the curious eyes of Jäger, before he reached around the German's body again. 

Jäger let out a surprised yelp when he felt Fuze's finger prodding his entrance. Fuze comforted him by kissing his neck softly before he slipped his finger inside. Fingering Jäger was supposed to open him up for the next thing being inserted into his ass, but Fuze felt like Jäger was only closing more and more around his finger as he tried to thrust it in and out. Jäger shivered slightly, groaning uncomfortably and holding onto Fuze tightly. His whole body was tense. The feeling was uncomfortable and it made him extremely nervous. 

“Relax, Marius,” Fuze whispered against his neck, “it’ll feel better if you do.” 

Nodding faintly, Jäger tried to do as he was told, but he only succeeded partially. He felt so vulnerable like this, sitting on Fuze’s lap and having his ass hole penetrated, Jäger panicked slightly. This wasn’t going to work. 

Fuze felt Jäger relax around his finger, if only slightly. There still wasn’t any space to add another finger, though, which made Fuze decide to stop and get on with it. He had no idea how to prepare Jäger, and if he was already prepared. How was it supposed to feel? How exactly was he supposed to do this? Driven by lust, Fuze just determined Jäger was ready. 

The German gave a shaky sigh of relief when Fuze removed his finger. With a smile, the Uzbek kissed him softly before he got the bottle of lube out again. This time, he squirted some on his own dick. Jäger watched with a pounding heart as he prepared himself, aroused at seeing Fuze touch himself but still nervous at the thought of what they were about to do. Would it hurt? Would Fuze’s large member even fit in his ass? 

Jäger didn’t get much time to overthink. The Uzbek grinned at him, a sight that made Jäger’s heart skip a beat, before he was picked up by Fuze’s strong arms. Surprised, Jäger held onto Fuze's shoulders and his legs wrapped around his hips as he was carried over to the wall. There, Fuze let him rest his back against the cold concrete. Jäger looked at him, confused, while Fuze panted slightly from the effort. 

_This better work._ Fuze thought as his arms already strained to keep Jäger lifted up against the wall. What did Pulse say about this position again? Oh yeah, it was _kinky_. Fuze had never stopped to think whether Jäger would actually like kinky, or would prefer simply fucking on the bed where they could both be comfortable. The Uzbek was starting to doubt now. They did not have any experience and this position seemed quite complicated. How could he even position his dick on Jäger's hole if he had to use both his arms to keep the man up? Never mind. He wanted to give Jäger a good time, so he would go to any lengths to make him feel good. And so, Fuze started shifting to get closer to Jäger's ass, which was perfectly parted because his legs were wrapped around his hips, aligned with his erect dick. 

Jäger clung on to Fuze tighter. This was weird. Fuze holding him up in his strong arms was hot in a way, but Jäger was still anxious. Still, he trusted that Fuze knew what he was doing, and he even started to wonder whether Fuze already had some kind of experience with somewhat more ‘professional fucking'. If they were doing such an advanced position, Jäger figured he wasn’t Fuze's first. Which made him feel slightly sad. 

But Jäger couldn’t have been more wrong. Fuze had never done this, or anything of the kind before. He clumsily tried to get Jäger closer to his dick, but that meant he had to shift and lower the German somehow. What was he doing? Pulse had better be right this position is heavenly, because Fuze was already tired from keeping Jäger up and pinned to the wall, let alone get him in the right place to fuck him. Where was this going? 

This was going down, apparently. And not in the good sense. 

While Fuze tried to get his German closer, so desperate to fuck him, he thought he finally might be close enough. Just a _little_ lower, and… 

He didn’t know how it happened. His grip might not have been strong enough, or he might have lowered Jäger too much, but suddenly, Jäger slipped from his grasp and he dropped him. 

_Fuck._

With a gasp and a cry Jäger fell, trying to grasp at Fuze or the blind wall but finding no support. He crashed on the floor on his lower back, immediately arching up in pain. Fuze watched him fall, dumbfounded. 

_Shit shit shit._

“Shit, Marius! I’m sorry!” Fuze cried out and immediately got on his knees to tend to the German, but found he couldn’t do much. Jäger groaned in pain as he kept arching his back, feeling stabs of pain going up and down his spine. His eyes were tightly shut and he gritted his teeth, pain coarsing through his body. This wasn’t how they had imagined their first time _at all_. 

What should he do? The Uzbek tried to think feverishly, but he knew he had to get help. However, that would mean he had to tell that person what happened. Fuck no. Desperately he tried to think of something else, but he was so worried about Jäger curling up in pain in font of him. Reluctantly, Fuze figured there was only one solution: 

Doc.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not super content with this chapter but it'll have to do xD Thank you for reading!
> 
> Yep Kapkan and Bandit get expelled for their lift prank and Fuze can stay after nearly killing Sledge earlier. Totally makes sense. Yep.
> 
> I would like to add that Fuze’s size was inspired by Ari's sketches on Discord x)


	12. Chapter 12

“The nurse told me he got lucky, he could have broken his spine. But he only damaged some muscles.” Fuze was telling Glaz in a low voice as they stood in the waiting room of the hospital bay. Jäger lay inside, but nobody had been allowed to visit him yet until Doc had finished his examinations on the German. 

It had been several hours since Fuze had accidentally dropped Jäger during their first attempt at sex. It had ended disastrously; they hadn’t even come close to actual fucking. Fuze bit his fingers now, worrying about his German and cursing himself for hurting him. Why did he always fuck things up with Jäger, even now that they were together? 

“So tell me, what did you try to do again?” Glaz asked, not trying to sound like he was judging his friend for choosing a position that was way too advanced for him. 

“I tried to lift him…” Fuze mumbled awkwardly as he looked away. Talking about his feelings with Glaz was one thing, but talking about sex was something completely different. How embarrassing. 

“And what made you think that was a good idea?” Glaz asked, amused, but kept a serious face for the sake of his friend. 

It took a while before Fuze could swallow his pride and admit that he had listened to Pulse's advice. 

“To Pulse?” Glaz repeated in disbelief. “Of all people, you listened to Pulse for sex advice? Why did you not come to me?” When all the Uzbek did was shrug, Glaz pulled him along and sat down with him on one of the benches in the waiting area. He looked at Fuze and observed, because that was what he was good at. He saw a man, unsure, worried, blushing and avoiding his gaze. “You were too embarrassed.” The Russian then concluded. 

Fuze gave a small nod that would have gone unnoticed had Glaz not been paying attention to him. Finally, the Uzbek spoke softly: “I was googling how to do it. That slippery eel caught me and said he knew better than the internet.” Fuze shrugged. 

“And you believed him?” Glaz cocked an eyebrow. 

“Not really, but he assured me he knew how I could make Jäger feel good. And that’s what I wanted, so…” 

“You listened?” Glaz concluded again. Fuze simply nodded. The Russian sighed, thanked the heavens for the fact that their first time hadn’t ended more dramatically and made a mental note to confront the bald American about this. But for the time being, he should focus on Fuze, who sat there like a lost puppy. As they were waiting for the nurse to come back with results anyway, Glaz figured he might as well use their time usefully. In a hushed tone, he spoke to the man beside him: “I’ll tell you this only once, and if you heed my advice, nothing will go wrong next time. Okay?” 

“If he even wants a next time.” Fuze muttered sadly, his face blank. 

Glaz waved him off. “Of course he does. Now listen, and forget everything Pulse told you…” 

 

\-- 

_The hospital of Hereford Base, later…_

“I cannot stress enough that sexual intercourse is not something to think of so lightly; it’s not as easy as putting on your socks and you should never do it without the proper knowledge, preparation and experience. Especially this way, which is not meant to procreate, can be very dangerous for various reasons. You see a prime example here, where there was obviously not enough knowledge, preparation and experience. Not only could this have ended badly in a physical way, but you should also think of STDs…” 

Jäger's eyes fluttered open, woken up by the loud voice echoing through the room. Through lidded eyes he looked about him and for a second wondered where he was and what had happened. This was the hospital bay – had he been injured in a mission? But as his eyes focused on the scene before him, his memories came flooding back into his mind. 

Right. The deed. 

“I’ll have you know that they’re called STIs nowadays, because they’re not disorders but infections.” 

“They are still referred to as STDs. But that is not the point. The point is homosexual sex can be dangerous and especially you lot would do good to listen to me for once.” 

“Don’t sweat man, I’m clean. Wanna see?” 

“Fucking hell, please keep your worm in your pants boy.” 

At that, Jäger chuckled softly and everybody present turned around. Doc was standing in the middle, surrounded by a highly amused Bandit and Kapkan, who had been teasing the medic. Although Bandit looked a bit offended now as Tachanka in the back had called his manhood a “worm”. Then there was Glaz and Blitz, who seemed to have been listening to Doc out of politeness and now looked at Jäger in a mix of sympathy and worry. Last but not least , Fuze was there, his head as red as a tomato and his mouth a thin line. The Uzbek was _way_ out of his comfort zone. 

“Jäger, good you woke up. I was just about to lecture you all on safe sex-“ 

“Fuck, I’m out.” Tachanka waved at them all as he sped off. 

Blitz came to Jäger's bedside first and asked him softly how he felt. Jäger shrugged, but smiled at him nonetheless. He was hurt, he could feel that, and he didn’t dare move his back just yet. He felt like his body had taken a rough beating. He had been awake before and a nurse had told him it was only some damaged muscles, nothing permanent. 

“I think Smoke and Mute should be here as well… Hey Tachanka, won’t you fetch them?” Doc yelled after the Russian who was long gone. With the clipboard in his hands, Doc tried to bring the group to silence. But Bandit and Kapkan continued asking Doc whatever naughty things they had done could have given them an STI, almost pissing their pants laughing. Glaz spoke to Fuze softly in Russian while the Uzbek had his eyes on Jäger all the time, as if he continuously had to make sure he was okay. 

“Does… Does everyone know?” Jäger asked Blitz quietly. The fact that there were so many people gathered by his bed couldn’t mean any good. 

Blitz grimaced. “I’m afraid so…” 

Jäger felt his heart sink through his body and mentally saw it fall through the bed and into the abyss below it. Everybody knew now. Everybody knew they had attempted sex. Everybody knew they had failed. God, how awkward. His eyes found Fuze's and suddenly he understood the embarrassment in those dark orbs even more. _Everybody knew he had dropped him._

“But it’s okay, Jäger,” Bandit suddenly addressed him, a grin on his face. “you’re still a virgin, you don’t have any scary diseases. Yet.” 

“Infections!” Kapkan corrected him and the two were lost in fits of giggles again while Doc tried to make them aware that this was not a joke. The two pranksters seemed to think otherwise, and the medic's attempts to make them listen were futile. Still, Doc kept trying faithfully. 

“Why are you two even back yet?” Jäger bit, realising the pranksters had been sent away after their last prank . He was annoyed with the fact Bandit was here. He always ruined everything. 

“To come laugh at your misery, of course!” Bandit roared with laughter. Kapkan laughed out loud as well, and it was agitating Jäger. 

“Their house arrest ends tomorrow, but they were allowed to come back now so they’re here by tomorrow morning. Six will lecture them.” Blitz explained, looking at Bandit sternly. 

“Hey, our prank got him into his pants!” Kapkan pointed over his shoulder at Fuze with his thumb before he nodded at Jäger. 

“Yeah, you should be thankful!” Bandit smirked. “Our efforts-“ 

“Shut the fuck up.” Fuze growled quietly. But everybody did _shut the fuck up_. Even Doc, who had been explaining chlamydia to no one in particular (because no one listened), fell silent and gaped at the Uzbek. Blitz and Glaz shared a look before they simultaneously grabbed their boyfriends by the arm in silence, and left the hospital bay under loud protest of the two pranksters. Doc seemed to come to the realisation that he should give the two lovers some privacy as well, but couldn’t stop himself from telling them about dangerous STIs one more time. Fuze glared at him furiously, and if looks could kill, Doc would have been murdered right there in his own hospital. When the Frenchman finally left the two alone, Fuze did not come closer. In fact, he stayed where he was, looking at Jäger with that sorrowful, but blank look on his face. 

“I’m sorry Marius.” Fuze finally broke the silence. He let his head hang and stuffed his hands in the large pockets of his combat trousers, suddenly unsure of how to behave now that the apology was out. 

Jäger smiled softly and extended a hand. “Come.” 

Obeying hesitantly, Fuze shuffled closer to Jäger’s bed. He took the German's hand, warm and soft, and he sighed. “I’m sorry for fucking up, Marius.” The Uzbek said again before he finally decided it was not polite to keep his hand in his pockets so uninterestedly, so he sat down on the edge of Jäger's bed. Fuze stroked the German's hand gingerly, tenderly, a complete different side of the usually so reckless operator. A side only Jäger got to see. “Are you okay?” 

“Just a bit bruised and sore, that’s all.” Jäger smiled at him and watched him touch his hand so delicately. “Don’t worry about it.” 

“I keep hurting you.” Fuze's voice broke as he looked up from Jäger's hand and instead looked into his grey eyes. 

Jäger shook his head, chuckling softly. “No you don't.” 

“I do, though.” Fuze interrupted him. He was blind in his regret, his self-pity. He let go of Jäger's hand and stood up abruptly. Jäger looked at him, surprised and confused at his behaviour. 

“No-“ 

“I’m sorry.” Fuze said again, without looking at the German, before he stormed off. Jäger was left behind in the hospital bed, speechless and sad. He watched his boyfriend go in a haze of what seemed like panic. Why did Fuze run off like that? Why didn’t he want to talk? Jäger would have told him it’s okay, that he still loves him and that they will try something more simple next time. But he didn’t even get the chance. 

Sinking back into his bed once more, Jäger thought back of that afternoon. He had felt wonderful, if not a bit nervous, but he had enjoyed their private time nonetheless. And he wanted Fuze to know that. He wanted Fuze to know he had loved pleasing him with his mouth, as strange and new as it was to him, it was exciting to know he could turn the Uzbek on with something so simple. And their kissing and touching, Fuze's rough movements on his own member that left him breathless and his apparent attention to every part of Jäger's body, it had been so amazing to the German. Jäger wanted to Fuze to know that, and he wanted him to know that he knew Fuze didn’t drop him on purpose - of course not. But how could he tell all this when the person in question ran away from him? 

Jäger decided to let it rest and get some sleep. He couldn’t move much due to his sore muscles, but he knew time healed all wounds. Were it physical, or mental. And it was a fact he was tired of all the events of that day, so it didn’t take long before he drifted off into an uneasy sleep. 

Preferring to sleep on his sides or stomach, Jäger had never enjoyed sleeping on his back. But now that every movement sent a numb pain through his back, he tried to stay as still as possible. Jäger dreamed of Pulse telling him how to have sex. He tried to run away from the bald American, but his legs were heavy and he was going nowhere. Pulse kept following him, whispering things at him Jäger couldn’t understand. It wasn’t English, and when Jäger turned around to take a glance at his persuor, he saw he was now followed by a snake, slithering and hissing. He cried out and tried to run even faster, but his legs couldn’t carry him anymore. Jäger fell and the snake was upon him at once, wrapping around his body with its long, strong tail and strangling him. He panted as he tried to keep breathing, but the snake wasn’t allowing him to. He was going to suffocate- 

With a scream Jäger raised himself from the bed. He breathed as if he had just ran a marathon and was sweating in a similar way. Panicking, his eyes sought the snake, but found himself entangled in his bed sheets only. Jäger swallowed hard, thinking it was only a dream, but couldn't relax yet as a voice next to him suddenly spoke: 

“Nightmare, Jägerchen?” 

Startled again, Jäger turned his head to where the voice was coming from. Next to him, on the vacant hospital bed adjacent to his, sat Bandit wearing his usual cheeky grin. Jäger calmed down somewhat. It was just Bandit. _Just Bandit?_

“Fuck off, Dom.” Jäger mumbled and sat back in his bed, his back resting against the headrest as he sat. Relax, it had only been a dream. 

Bandit tilted his head and smirked. “Fuck off? Does your mother know you use such foul words, Marius?” 

Folding his arms and looking away from Bandit, Jäger knew he shouldn’t reply to that. Bandit loved making him angry. 

“Aww, don’t be like that. I’m only here to help.” 

Jäger turned to look at him, suspicious, feeling like he’s had enough help already, thank you very much. Bandit smiled sympathetically at him, but Jäger could see the mischief in his eyes. What kind of help would Bandit offer? Now Jäger started to think of it, Bandit has never offered to help him at all. There was something off about this whole situation. Where was Blitz? Why had Bandit come to him alone? 

“Your first time didn’t end so well, did it? Glaz said Fuze dropped you. You poor little bastard, what made you decide to do such a complicated position? Even if I would want to, I don’t think I could hold Blitz up long enough to thoroughly fuck him against the wall. He’s heavy.” Bandit’s eyes glowed as he spoke of his sexual intercourse with Blitz, making Jäger want to cover his ears. He really didn’t need to know what the prankster did to his best friend. “I also heard via Kapkan you tried your luck with your mouth. Didn’t go any better, did it?” Bandit chuckled before he continued: “Who told you to bite, Marius? Or was that your own idea? You kinky fucker.” 

Feeling ashamed, Jäger yelled: “It was Pulse's idea!” But he regretted it immediately. 

“Pulse? Of all people, you went to Pulse for help?” Bandit snorted. “Idiot. I could’ve taught you much better.” 

“Well, you weren’t around.” Jäger retorted. 

“I am now.” Bandit smirked as he got up and suddenly sat down on the edge of Jäger’s bed, where Fuze had been a few hours ago. “I can help you.” He said as he leaned closer and put his hand on Jäger's leg. 

Jäger eyed the hand in alarm. _What was Bandit trying to do?_ “You never help me.” He tried to sound tough, but his voice failed him. The prankster chuckled at his nervousness. 

“You’ve never asked for it, Jägerchen. So now I’m offering it.” Bandit’s voice was sweet and his smile sly as his hand crept up Jäger's leg. The smaller German tensed. “Don’t tell me you don’t want to learn from someone who actually has experience, unlike your friend Pulse.” 

“I would, but-“ Jäger grumbled but stopped. He looked at Bandit from the corner of his eye as he slipped his hand between Jäger’s legs and rested it on his inner thigh. 

“But what, Marius?” Bandit’s thumb stroked his leg softly. Jäger was happy the nurse had given him sweatpants earlier, or he would have sat here in his briefs, or worse: naked. 

“I don’t trust you.” Jäger didn’t dare look at Bandit. Instead he stared at the hand on his leg, so close to his privates. He looked at it hard, as if the sheer force of his stare would push the hand away. Jäger felt uncomfortable. 

Bandit cupped Jäger's face with his other hand, and forced him to look at him. “Aww, I thought we were over that part? I trust you.” He tried to look truthfully, but Jäger saw the smirk playing on his lips. As if Bandit saying he trusted Jäger meant anything. Jäger wouldn’t hurt a fly, whereas Bandit had the tendency to make his jokes as painful or as embarrassing as possible. “Don’t you want to know how to suck a cock, Jägerchen? Innocent Jägerchen, who had never even seen another man's dick before? How could you even try it if you knew nothing about it?” 

“He loved it though.” Jäger mumbled to keep some dignity. 

“He did?” Bandit sounded more amused than surprised. Suddenly, he pressed his index finger to Jäger's mouth. “Show me what you did, then.” 

Jäger stared at Bandit with wide eyes. His lustful voice, the finger on his lips… What was Bandit trying to achieve? 

“C'mon, it’s just my finger. I’m not feeding you my cock.” Bandit grinned. “I’ll tell you what to do. Then next time you’re sucking Fuze off, he'll cum straight in your mouth. Isn’t that what you want, you dirty little Jäger?” 

Pulse had promised him the same. Now that he looked back on it, Jäger knew he shouldn’t have trusted him. What did Pulse know, that fucker? No, Bandit knew what he was talking about. Jäger knew he did, and he knew Blitz was very happy with their sex life. Should he trust Bandit? 

“Open up Marius, I’m just trying to help.” Bandit smiled innocently. 

But Jäger knew he was everything but innocent. Nevertheless, he didn’t dare stand up for himself for fear Bandit would hurt him or do something unpleasant. And so, Jäger parted his lips slightly. Bandit’s eyes grew darker as Jäger slowly and unsurely started to mimic what he had been doing to Fuze’s dick. The soft kisses and licks on the tip, the taste of it, the feeling of it, Fuze's reaction and his own erection stimulated by Fuze’s pants and soft groans. Jäger’s eyes started to droop as he remembered that afternoon. It felt like he was in Fuze’s room again, alone together, and sucking his boyfriend's dick. He started to slide his lips down, as he had done, taking in a good part of Fuze’s large shaft – and only a bit of Bandit’s finger now. He remembered how horny it made him, how good Fuze had felt in his mouth. All that was missing now, were Fuze's pants and his large dick. 

When Jäger realised that, in fact, the pants were there – although much less bated than Fuze’s had been – he opened his eyes slightly and looked through lidded eyes at his teammate. Bandit was watching him intently, his pupils dilated and his mouth hanging open slightly. He looked slightly… overwhelmed? 

“Fuck, Jäger, you're -“ He panted, but could never finish his sentence because he was rudely interrupted by someone barging into the hospital bay. 

“DOMINIC.” A voice thundered. Bandit jumped up, retracting his finger from Jäger’s soft, wet mouth and removing his hand from his thigh. Now that the warmth of it was missing, Jäger realised Bandit had been massaging him with his fingertips. With wide eyes he noticed Bandit's fingers had been close to his member – his now _interested_ member – way too close, and he eyed the newcomer like a deer in the headlights. 

Who looked even more busted, was Bandit. His eyes were wide and his face as white as a sheet. “Fuck, Blitz.” Was all he managed to say before his boyfriend reached Jäger's bed. 

“Get off him and keep your filthy fingers away from him!” Blitz shouted, shooing Bandit away from Jäger. The latter trembled a little; Blitz never got angry, but when he did… Scary. 

“I was just trying to help!” Bandit apologised weakly. Blitz wouldn’t have it. 

“Get back to our quarters and stay there. I will deal with you later.” 

Bandit rushed off immediately, but not before winking at Jäger. When he was finally gone, Blitz sighed. 

“I’m sorry Marius, he slipped away from me. I should have known he would be up to no good with you… Did he hurt you?” Blitz pulled a chair to Jäger's bed and sat on it, looking concerned. Blushing heavily, Jäger could only shake his head. No, Bandit hadn’t hurt him. He just felt very, very confused as to what just happened. Sighing again, Blitz said: “Good. I need to talk to you, Marius. About your first time with Fuze. Let me help you…” 

Jäger groaned inwardly. Another person who was trying to help when really he just wanted to talk to Fuze. But at least he trusted Blitz with his eyes closed, so he listened. Blitz would help him. 

 

\-- 

_The local pub, Hereford, that night._

“But we're not allowed two pub nights!” Fuze complained while he was being dragged along by his Spetsnaz comrades. The familiar sight of the old pub came in their view, merry lights lit behind stained-glass windows and the white paint flaking off the walls. It was a comforting sight, and so was the thought of getting smashed on alcohol right now. 

“Shut up, Shuhrat, you just want to sit alone in your room and sulk. But we're not letting you.” Kapkan said with a grin as he pushed Fuze in the back, ushering him towards the wooden door of the pub. 

“You need this more to solve your problems than just sitting on your own and pining.” Glaz added calmly as he opened the door and let Kapkan push the Uzbek inside. He got in himself, followed by Tachanka, who exclaimed: 

“I’m not here for emotional support. I just want to get drunk and this was the best opportunity.” 

Kapkan snorted. “So nice to hear you value a night out with your boys so much, Chanka.” 

The big Russian just shrugged at the other attacker. When Tachanka and Kapkan, old mates from their Spetsnaz division, had met the defenders of team Rainbow Six, Tachanka had found a nice mate in Fuze. While Glaz was chasing Kapkan (and the other way around), he used to hang around with the Uzbek. They were comfortable together, but never once had Tachanka realised Fuze could be gay as well. And now that he had lost all three of his boys to homosexuality, he felt highly misunderstood and alone. 

They entered the pub through the hall. The dimly lit room, the scent of food and beer and the quiet chatting of the people present in the room, having a nice time out, was enough to lift any tensions between the four men. They shed their heavy coats and immediately headed for the bar. Tachanka ordered their first round while Fuze was still worrying over the fact that they were not allowed to be there. 

“Do you want to get expelled again?” Fuze asked angrily when Kapkan had waved off his complaints once again. 

“Shuh, shut the fuck up and enjoy your time. We're not letting you sulk on your own.” Kapkan said sternly and Fuze slumped down in his seat. He let his arms rest on the wooden bar, staring into the distance with a sad look on his face. Defeated. It was true he'd rather sit on his own and be sad, and he also knew it to be true he shouldn’t do that and enjoy his time with his mates. But he felt so stupid about what he did to Jäger, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. He knew his comrades were right. Alcohol would probably help. Right? 

“How many drinks do you think it’ll take to get him drunk?” Glaz whispered at Kapkan, who was sitting next to him. Fuze had rarely been drunk since they had gotten to know each other. He was everything but a lightweight, drinking various alcoholic drinks in one night and still being able to stand on both feet. 

“Throw drinks at him until he fucking loses count, I don’t know.” Kapkan replied. “As long as he forgets being a pussy and decides to fuck Jäger again.” 

Glaz nodded. Fuze had to forget this incident in order to try again. The first round came. They cheered, clunk their glasses and started drinking. Fuze wasn’t very cheerful at the start, but while Tachanka recounted tales of his time at the Spetsnaz, Kapkan made jokes and Glaz gave solid advice for every issue they threw at him and, most importantly, drinks kept flowing, he started to relax more and more. A faint smile started to appear on his face and after the umpteenth drink, he joined the conversations like he usually would with his comrades. They were loud, they laughed and they shouted. Real Russians in a bar. From then on, the drinks didn’t seem to stop coming anymore. Kapkan, Glaz, Tachanka and occasionally Fuze kept buying liquor. They played drinking games purely aimed at getting Fuze as drunk as they could get him, and the Uzbek didn’t even notice. All he did was bathe in the distraction his friends offered him. 

Within two hours, the four Russians were surrounded by empty glasses. The red-faced bartender, annoyed at the noisy drinking Russians but happy with their custom, worked hard to keep up with the demand of the soldiers and the orders of other customers. Glaz was the first who started to become tipsy. One could tell by his usual habit to become giggly, so when Kapkan noticed, he nudged him with his elbow. 

“You should stop drinking if you want to keep your head together.” Kapkan slurred, the alcohol on his breath heavy. Glaz chuckled at him but agreed; they had to focus on feeding Fuze drunk. The Uzbek didn’t even notice he stopped playing along in their drinking games, so concentrated on forgetting the whole ordeal with Jäger. 

It was hard to forget, though. Tachanka we starting to notice. “How about this drinking game:” The big Russian spoke to Fuze and glanced sideways at Kapkan And Glaz. “Every time you think of Jäger, you take a shot.” 

Kapkan and Glaz held their breaths as they looked at Fuze. How could Tachanka speak of Jäger now? In turn, Fuze stared at Tachanka, his mouth open slightly and his eyes troubled. Will he start shouting? Will he punch Fuze? Will he run off now? 

But Fuze did none of the things Kapkan and Glaz feared. Instead, he reached over the bar and took a shot glass the bartender had made ready for them. In one swift motion and without breaking eye contact with Tachanka next to him, he gulped the ice-cold liquid down his throat. It burned his insides and tingled his belly. Fuze closed his eyes as the drink warmed him. He put the glass down and looked at Tachanka again, his face blank. 

“That helped.” He then said, his Uzbek accent thick. Tachanka grinned and patted him on the back. Glaz released his breath and Kapkan laughed out loud. This was how they were going to get him drunk. 

Fuze sat eyeing the empty glass in front of him when Tachanka, Glaz and Kapkan exchanged glances. Next topic: Jäger. Jäger, Jäger, _Jäger_. 

"Oh yeah, guys, I heard a rumour that there is possibly a major mission coming up for us. If you're sent out, who'd you want in your team?" Glaz asked, his face as serious as he could keep it but an amusing hint in his eyes. 

"Definitely not Thatcher." Kapkan snorted immediately, before he continued: "Maybe Sledge, or Montagne. Oh and IQ maybe. Don't want to get blown up." Kapkan counted the operators on his hands. 

"To hell with all of them," Tachanka spoke, "if they sent me off with you boys, we can take thousands of terrorists. Easy." 

Kapkan and Glaz cheered to that, Fuze laughed faintly. 

"You're absolutely right, Chanka. How did I not think of that?" Kapkan grinned at his old friend. 

Glaz leaned over the bar to look at Fuze, who sat next to Kapkan. "And you, Shuh? Who'd you take?" 

Fuze lazily looked up at Glaz, and saw the smirk. He didn't say anything. He just reached over and picked up another shot. He threw the liquid down his throat and shuddered. "I'd take Jäger." 

"I'm sure you would!" Kapkan laughed, patting the Uzbek on his back. 

Shaking his head with a smile, Tachanka asked: "But is this serious, Timur? A major mission coming up?" 

"It's only a rumour for now, but I heard the White Masks are planning something big." Glaz replied in all seriousness. 

The atmosphere darkened a little then – none of the four operators was looking forward to being sent away again soon. Of course this was their job and they would gladly rid the world of all terrorists, but the fact remained that it was dangerous, and they never knew if they'd all make it out alive again. Glaz sighed and Tachanka looked grave, not to speak of Fuze who now started to look like shit, but Kapkan wouldn't let the upcoming mission get him down. 

"So the terrorists are planning something big, and we have been invited? How nice." He giggled. With a laugh, Glaz elbowed him and Tachanka choked on his drink. 

"Sounds like a party we can crash!" Chanka roared and Kapkan and Glaz cheered. Fuze wasn't listening anymore. Images of that afternoon were flooding back into his mind, no longer being hold back by the liquor anymore. They were pleasant images, and painful ones. Jäger sucking his dick so amazingly, and Jäger falling to the floor. Fuze touching him, his warm, soft body and Fuze not knowing what to do after he'd hurt him. Shit. And then, when they had finally had a private moment again after the fiasco of that afternoon, he had run away. He had left Jäger in the hospital bed, alone and sad. He hadn't been able to handle it all; disappointing the German time after time, hurting him, and seeing his still so cheerful, trustful face looking at him. How could Jäger trust him? How could he not be mad at him? Why was Jäger so loyal? He was too good for him, and Fuze knew it. 

"Ohhh!" Kapkan suddenly exclaimed, phone in his hand and wide eyes looking at its screen. Fuze only looked up slightly. "Hey, Shuh. Did Jäger suck your dick off?" 

Again, Tachanka choked on his drink and started complaining about talking about "this gay shit" around him. Chuckling slightly, Glaz looked at Fuze while Kapkan looked at him too, excited and full of wonder. Fuze glared back at him. The Uzbek didn't look as cheerful anymore as he had done when they had started drinking. His eyes were tired and sad, blood-shot, and there were bags under them. His mouth was a thin line, his skin pale. 

"B-because, Bandit's saying," Kapkan tried to control his laughter under Fuze's glare, but failed miserably, "he's fucking good." 

Fuze's eyes widened for a moment, his fists clenching and unclenching on the edge of the bar. The look on his face was starting to become furious. "And how would that... waste of space know?" Fuze asked through clenched teeth. 

Kapkan just shrugged and showed the Uzbek his phone, on which Bandit's message was displayed: 

_Check on Fuze. Jäger probably sucked his cock off. 11/10 would do again."_ Behind the words were three emojis, one mouth, one eggplant and a splash of water. And we all know what that means. 

"What the _fuck_!" Fuze yelled, nearly succeeding in slamming Kapkan's phone out of his hand. Fuze got up, his barstool falling to the floor. "That fucker will pay!" 

"Shit, Fuze, wait-" Glaz tried to get through, but Fuze's rage was clouding everything. Kapkan just sat laughing out loud while Fuze stormed off, forgetting his coat in the process. Tachanka watched him go, seemingly unbothered. 

Glaz stood up in panic. "Guys, he's now drunk _and_ angry! We all know that's not a good combination in Fuze! We have to go after him!" 

When he tried to run after Fuze, Kapkan took hold of his arm harshly and pulled him closer. "You're not going anywhere tonight but our bedroom. Remember you talked of punishing me three days ago? I've been waiting." Kapkan smirked. 

"What did I _tell_ you? Stop hitting me with that gay shit." Tachanka grumbled, finishing off the shots that were gathered in front of him. 

Glaz paid him no mind. "Max, we'll get to that. We have to get to Fuz now, we can't just let him-" 

"Shush shush." Kapkan said, covering his boyfriend's mouth with his hand. "Leave him be. I want to see Bandit beaten up, it'd be funny." Kapkan chuckled. 

"Aren't you guys friends?" Glaz cocked an eyebrow. Kapkan just kept laughing as he put Glaz back on his barstool. Glaz looked at him, slightly unsure whether he wanted to stay or should chase Fuze. Tachanka burped loudly. 

This was a strange day. 

 

\-- 

_Hereford Base, 03:00AM._

Chest heaving, muscles tense, head going wild. 

Fuze stood in the hall of Hereford base. It was dark and everyone was asleep. He felt like shouting would ease the unrest bubbling in his body, but he didn't do it. He was restless and he didn't know what to do. 

Fuze wanted to turn left and go to the barracks. He wanted to beat up Bandit, beat him up real good so that he would never be able to walk again. That way he could never get close to Jäger again, could never hurt him again, could never mess with him again. 

Fuze also wanted to turn right and go to the hospital bay. He wanted to see Jäger, apologise for everything he had done, for everything he had caused. He wanted to be with his German, his boyfriend. He wanted to hold him close, comfort him and be comforted. 

Closing his eyes and counting to ten... Didn't help. Counting to twenty, thirty, forty, fifty. Fuze had to collect himself. Hadn't he promised Jäger he would try to control his anger? As much as he wanted Bandit to pay for what he had done, both in the past and the present, he knew Jäger wouldn't want him to do it. Fuze sighed. 

How could Jäger be such a pure, forgiving person? How could he never want to beat someone up? Why was he not aggressive? Fuze closed his eyes and thought of him. He stood there, in the dark and silence of the base, and tried to _understand_ the German. And just the thought of Jäger calmed him. He thought of Jäger's soft touch to everything, his light step, his cheerfulness. How could a man like that be a Rainbow SIX operator? A killing machine? No, Jäger was no killing machine. He was a soldier, righteous and just. And that was the big difference between them. _He_ was the killing machine. 

Fuze looked up. He looked left at the doors leading to the barracks. He looked right at the doors leading to the hospital bay. And then, he walked. 

Opening the doors, Fuze found the room was very dark. He gave his eyes the time to adjust and when he started to become aware of his surroundings, he started walking again. Resolute, but softly. No need to wake anyone up. In a few steps, he stood at his bed. A figure slept peacefully under the covers. In a few seconds, that peace would be disrupted. Fuze clenched his fists before he reached down and pulled the covers down to reveal the man's calm sleeping face. 

Fuze's eyes softened. 

Jäger. 

Fuze had decided to let go of his grudge. He had not gone to beat up Bandit, but he had come to Jäger. He knew it was the right thing to do, he knew he should be here. Kicking off his shoes, Fuze lifted the covers slightly. He nudged Jäger softly as he laid down next to the German in the small hospital bed. It creaked heavily under the added weight. Jäger opened his eyes sleepily. 

"Shuhrat?" He whispered. 

Fuze couldn't speak, so he made a noise of affirmation instead. Immediately, Jäger's arms were wrapped around him. _A real hugger_ , Fuze thought with a small smile. 

"I missed you." Jäger whispered again as his nose nuzzled the dip between Fuze's collar bones. He closed his eyes and held his boyfriend close. They didn't speak for a while. 

Fuze stroked his hair absent-mindedly. "I'm so sorry, Marius." His broken whisper finally broke the silence between them. 

If possible, Jäger pulled him even closer. "It's okay, Shuh, of course it's okay. I love you and we'll just try again." 

Pulling Jäger against his chest, Fuze cried quietly. For all he did and didn't do, for himself and for Jäger, but most importantly, for the unconditional love Jäger gave him and he didn't feel he deserved right now. Right then and there, Fuze decided he should never let Jäger down ever again. The German understood him on a level no one did. 

"I love you too, Marius."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some fluff! Tbh Fuze/Jäger is starting to become my favourite ship x3 But I secretly love Bandit/Jäger as well, I'm sorry, had to put in those inappropriate touches (x Bandit's just trying to help!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed c: Once again I'd like to thank you all for your loyal support, it means so much to me c:


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Warning: Yeah this is porn**

_Fuze's bedroom, two days later._

"Are you sure?" 

Jäger chuckled. "Of course I am. Stop worrying." 

They were in Fuze's room together, like they had done a couple of days ago. Jäger sat on his bed, completely comfortable, while Fuze watched him from where he stood leaning against the door, unsure. Jäger found it funny how their roles had been reversed during their first time; when Fuze had been confident and Jäger nervous. But Jäger wasn't nervous now. No, he had had a heartfelt conversation with Blitz the day before and it had relieved him of a lot of worries. He had expected his best friend to be angry with him for not coming to him for advice, but Blitz had been kind and understanding. He had given advice, had told Jäger what to do, how _real_ sex worked, and had comforted him. He had also promised Bandit had been punished for his 'inappropriate touches'. 

Bandit, in turn, had given him only one piece of advice. It was his way of apologising, telling Jäger a dirty little secret he wasn’t even aware of himself. The smaller German hadn’t expected the prankster to apologise properly anyway. And armed with this information – because Bandit knew him better than he liked to admit – he was confident this time they would do it right. 

Now Fuze was nervous. He didn't want to hurt Jäger again. Even though they said they would take it slower this time, Fuze was afraid of fucking up again. He had been chatting to Glaz, who had listened to him, had given him advice, and had told him to stop worrying, and he had spoken to Kapkan, who had given him a much dirtier view on sex and had told him to _just get on with it_. But a nagging feeling of worry remained in Fuze's guts, and he looked at Jäger unsurely. Jäger, who was sitting on his bed, perfectly relaxed, looking back at him with a small smile. Isn't this exactly what he had always wanted? Jäger on his bed, waiting for a good fuck? Fuze was surprised the German even wanted to try again. 

"Come on Shuhrat, I want it..." Jäger tilted his head and his hand lingered over the empty space on the bed beside him. He sat on his knees, his perfect butt sprawled on Fuze's very own bed. 

He was tempting. He was so innocent, yet the naughty look on his face... Fuze wanted him. But doubt loomed over him like a shadow. "You do?" 

Time to implement Bandit's advice. _Play it cute._ Jäger wasn't confident about his body at all, knew next to nothing about foreplay, but Bandit had told him he should make his innocence work for him instead of against him. And so, Jäger bent over the bed, ass in the air as he reached out to the worried Uzbek in front of him. "Come on Shuh, love me like you do." He said playfully, looking at Fuze with big, curious eyes. 

A smile started playing on Fuze's lips. Jäger posing like that for him, ass in the air, definitely does something to a man. Fuze wondered if Jäger knew how irresistible he was if he behaved so innocent, yet sexy like this. Was he aware he was so _fuckable_? Fuze pushed his body off the wall and lazily got closer to where Jäger waited for him. The German started grinning as his boyfriend got on the bed with him. 

Fuze pushed Jäger down on his bed and leaned over him. He pinned his wrists above Jäger's head with his own hands and trailed his nose over the German's bare neck. "You seem so innocent, but you know exactly what you're doing, don't you?" Fuze purred. 

Jäger only giggled and squirmed under Fuze's touch. When the Uzbek lifted his head to look at him, Jäger looked back with big, dark eyes and a shy grin on his lips. So quasi innocent, but he knew Fuze digged it. 

"You do." Fuze breathed with a smirk. Jäger giggled again, but he didn't get much time for it. Fuze immediately took his breath away with a demanding kiss. With their fresh experience, they were able to make out quite expertly by now. As always, Fuze led the kiss, hungry and obsessive, while Jäger was overwhelmed by the lips moving against his own. The German flexed the muscles in his arms, wanting to let his hands roam over Fuze's strong back, but found they were still pinned above his head. He groaned softly into the kiss as if to ask for permission, but Fuze didn't release him. Instead, he kissed him deeper, slipping his tongue into his mouth. 

Jäger let him in, enjoying the feeling of the wet muscle against his own. Their tongues danced and wrestled for dominance, a battle Fuze easily won, and Jäger groaned into his mouth. With Fuze's lips dominating his and his tongue in Jäger's mouth, the German suddenly didn't mind being pinned down anymore; quite the contrary. He loved how Fuze took full control over him, held him down and made him his. Of course he wanted to let his hands explore the Uzbek's muscled, strong body, but he could do that whenever he wanted. Fuze was his. Unlike last time, Jäger was actually looking forward to what they were about to do. He was no longer nervous and knew Fuze would give him a good time. Their making out then turned hot and feverish now; Jäger sucked Fuze’s tongue and lower lip while Fuze explored his mouth. They were both out of breath but refused to stop kissing, so desperate for each other's touch, that they kissed with open mouths. They took every second to gulp in some air, like professional swimmers do during a swimming competition, and continued lapping at each other's mouth. 

Fuze grinded his hips into Jäger's crotch, breathless and earning wanton moans from the German underneath him. It made Fuze's growing erection twitch, and he groaned in response. The German, the innocent, pure German; he was so delicious when he was becoming horny like this... The Uzbek's mind already ran wild with ideas, thoughts. He pictured himself fucking Jäger in all kinds of positions, he imagined them performing so many different sexual acts and he knew he could do anything he fantasized with him; because Jäger _loved_ it. Jäger grinded his hips in rhythm with the man on top of him, greedily looking for that friction as he stared through lidded eyelids at his boyfriend. His cheeks were pink, his lips swollen and apart, his breath coming fast. Fuze doubled his efforts, loving the reaction he got out of the man below him and getting eager to fuck him. Jäger tensed the muscles in his arms, pushing against Fuze's iron grip as he arched his back. 

"Shuhrat, please." Jäger moaned and he bucked his hips into Fuze's. 

Grinning widely, Fuze looked down his body and saw the bulge in his trousers under which his erection was trapped. He looked up at his boyfriend again, and took in the sight; Jäger looked so eager, yet frustrated, Fuze loved it. "Please what, Marius?" 

"Touch me." Jäger begged, staring back at Fuze's handsome face, his teasing smile. He was at Fuze's mercy. He knew. His wrists still pinned down by the Uzbek, his body trapped underneath Fuze, his erection right underneath Fuze's own crotch. Jäger couldn't move, he could only _look_ and _feel_. God, it was torture, but for some odd reason he loved it. 

"I'll have you tied down some time..." Fuze mumbled as his eyes roved over his boyfriend's helpless body. The fact he was already begging even though they had barely started, was a great prospect for what they could do in the future... "That, and that little uniform you got..." 

"What?" Jäger asked confused, his brain sluggishly slow as all his blood was concentrated around his dick. No need to think, all he needed now were primitive instincts. "Please touch me." 

Fuze smirked. He didn’t know yet how he would achieve all the dirty little ideas in his head, but he knew that all they needed, was practise. A lot of practise. And Fuze didn't mind that at all. One hand cupped Jäger's face briefly, and he smiled softly when the German leaned into the touch. Then he let his hand wander further down, over the hot skin of his neck, over the thin fabric of his t-shirt where he felt hard muscles, before reaching for his crotch. Jäger gasped as Fuze palmed his erection, stimulating it without actually touching it. Thrusting into the touch, Jäger moaned. Fuze continued to hold him down as he lustfully watched Jäger pleasure himself by grinding against his hand. 

Not being touched when he was getting horny was the worst, Fuze dry humping him had been pleasurable, grinding against his big hand was enjoyable, but Jäger needed _more_. He quickly grew tired, and more importantly, needy, of thrusting against Fuze, so once again he tried to move, resist against Fuze's restraining hand that kept him pinned down to the mattress. But even with one hand, Fuze was stronger than Jäger's horny body. His limbs were useless, but he wanted to unzip his trousers so badly. Take his dick out, free it of his constricting trousers and boxers, and feel Fuze touch it again. _So heavenly_. 

Finally, Fuze decided he had teased long enough and started to undo Jäger's trousers. The German actually sighed in relief when Fuze opened his trousers and pulled his dick from his boxers. Smirking, Fuze let his hand ghost over Jäger's member. The German arched into the touch, but Fuze's hand was out of his reach. He groaned in frustration, his dick twitching when Fuze moved his hand closer. Without a warning, Fuze then grabbed his member and started pumping. Jäger inhaled sharply and moaned out loud, balling his hands into fists. Fuze's touch was always so rough on Jäger's smaller body, but it excited him. He lay on Fuze's bed, pinned down and moaning shamelessly while Fuze ran his hand up and down his shaft. Thrusting into the touch, Jäger closed his eyes and was finally starting to get that feeling of euphoria while Fuze worked his magic on his dick. 

Then, the magic was abruptly stopped. Jäger opened his eyes, ready to start protesting, when he saw why Fuze had stopped. His wrists had been released as the Uzbek sat up to pull his t-shirt over his head. Jäger's hungry eyes immediately swooped down to his abdomen: first his hipbones were revealed, standing out beautifully above the combat trousers he always wore and were only slightly too big around his hips. Next followed his abs; Jäger could count every muscle on his toned lower body. Then came his chest that he knew to be strong even though it looked quite soft. His collarbones joined together perfectly above all the glory below it, the small dip perfect to set his teeth in. Jäger was fully aware that he was gaping with his mouth open, but to him, Fuze's body was one of a god. 

Pulling the t-shirt over his head, Fuze was met by Jäger's staring face, eyes big in wonder, astonishment and admiration. He chuckled softly when Jäger seemed to come to the realisation that his hands were no longer pinned down, and moved them to Fuze's body instantly. His warm hands explored, softly and gently, feeling every dip and corner. Grinning, Fuze leaned over him again, gripped his dick once more and licked Jäger's lips as he continued stroking. Suddenly Jäger's touch turned heated again, his hands running over the length of Fuze's back, his slender fingers feeling every bone of his spine while Fuze made out with him hungrily. 

Fuze's hand moved in the perfect rhythm, Jäger thrusted into it and let his hands wander everywhere on the man above him. His fingers counted every muscle, he stroked Fuze's sides and back and even groped his ass – to the amusement to the Uzbek, who groaned lowly and bucked into Jäger. "Cheeky." He managed to utter in between their kissing, his accent becoming thicker so Jäger had a harder time to understand him. He loved Fuze's accent, though, the sound of it almost exotic to a man only used to German or Western-European languages in general. Jäger dug his short nails into Fuze's back when the latter tightened his grip around Jäger's member. The Uzbek now abandoned Jäger's lips and moved to his neck, sucking and biting lazily to leave small marks. Everyone would know whom he belonged to. 

Jäger's moans were starting to become erratic, and with his eyes closed he just held onto Fuze, enjoying every pleasurable feeling the Uzbek gave him. His dick was throbbing and leaking precum over Fuze's hand, who used the liquid as lube and stroked faster and faster. Jäger panted hard, overwhelmed and incapable of coherent thought. Crying Fuze's real name, Jäger came hard. He spilled himself all over Fuze's abdomen and his own t-shirt, which he hadn't thought of moving out of the way, so busy as he had been clawing at Fuze's strong back. He kept his eyes closed to optimally enjoy his orgasm while Fuze lazily but gently milked his dick, helping him come off his high. 

They hadn't come this far last time, and now that they had started it, both men were confident to finish it. Jäger moaned softly, and Fuze moved off to let him take off his cum-stained shirt and his trousers, that were around his knees by now. Stark naked Jäger sat on the bed, not insecure and ashamed like he had been last time, but grinning at his boyfriend. Fuze grinned back and he was about to say something, when Jäger reached over to his bedside table. He grabbed the lube and condoms, and looked at Fuze again. The grin was still there, but there was a curious look in his dark eyes now. What would Jäger do? 

Jäger did something Fuze hadn't expected at all. He kneeled on the bed, his backside facing Fuze, when he bent over and displayed his asshole to the Uzbek without much further ado. Fuze let out a groan merely at the sight, but he was about to be amazed even more. Jäger lubed his finger, reached around his small frame and teased his own hole. Fuze watched with his mouth hanging open. Now it was his turn to be overwhelmed. And overwhelmed he was, at the so-called innocence of his German, at his cheekiness and above all: at how sexy Jäger could be when he wanted to. Then Fuze made eye contact with him, and the look on his face told him more than a thousand words. _Jäger was eager._

Panting already, Fuze realised this was a show he was supposed to enjoy while it lasted – he didn't want to miss a second of it. He sat back on his bed, his back leaning against the cold wall as he unzipped his trousers. Jäger was the first to break eye contact, his dilated pupils travelling down to where Fuze was pulling his own length out. The Uzbek saw how his eyes widened upon the sight, how his jaw dropped ever so slightly, as if he hadn't seen how huge it was last time. Still, Jäger didn't look as unsure as he had done the first time he had laid eyes on Fuze's member. Fuze was slightly startled when Jäger suddenly moaned uncomfortably, but found the obvious reason quite quickly: Jäger had inserted his first finger into his ass hole. He had probably done it absent-mindedly while he stared, but unlike Fuze had expected, Jäger's finger was inside his ass for three quarters already. No being careful this time, Fuze thought with a smirk. 

Taking hold of his own shaft now, Fuze sat back lazily as he watched Jäger finger himself. The German started slowly, his face screwed up in concentration as he got used to the feeling of something penetrating his insides. He was delicious to watch, so eager to perform for him but still wincing and tensing every time he inserted his finger at a different angle. The Uzbek settled on a soft touch on his own dick as he watched, teasing his foreskin or simply holding it, feeling the blood pulse through his veins. If he was to fuck that sweet piece of ass in front of him, he'd have to be patient a bit longer. 

Fuze growled lowly when Jäger added another finger, and the German himself moaned as well. He was obviously struggling to keep looking at Fuze – oh so seducingly – as his eyes closed in pleasure. Fuze stroked his dick slowly, watching Jäger's tight ass getting spread more and more. He imagined it was his cock spreading him as he drove it into Jäger's eager body, fucking him until he could no longer walk. The thought alone almost sent him over the edge, so Fuze settled on light touches again. By now Jäger was swiftly slipping his fingers in and out of himself, enjoying himself massively by the sight of him. Moaning, panting and biting his lip. Fuze couldn't wait much longer. 

"C'mere, Marius." Fuze's voice was a few pitches lower than it usually was, sounding even hotter to Jäger's ears than it usually did. His eyes snapped open. He looked at the inviting lap and then at Fuze's hand stretched out lazily to him. Jäger removed his fingers, crawled over to where Fuze lay against the wall and started to pull the Uzbek's trousers down. 

But not without getting a little taste of him, of course; 

Jäger softly kissed and licked Fuze's head while he removed the trousers, earning a longing moan from his boyfriend. With a playful grin, Jäger bobbed his head down Fuze's shaft a few times before he sat up again. Fuze looked at him, utterly surprised, overwhelmed and impressed, his cheeks starting to turn pink and his mouth open. 

"Fuck, Marius... You're amazing..." Fuze huffed, and Jäger smiled innocently. But Fuze knew by now that the German wasn't as innocent as he appeared at all. No, once the German got horny... He was fire hot. Now, however, Jäger sat in front of him, staring at Fuze's naked body and somehow he looked a bit unsure. Fuze stroked his arm. "Why don't you sit on me?" 

Jäger looked up as he heard his boyfriend's whisper. Sit on... That? His eyes trailed down to Fuze's large member again. He knew the Uzbek wouldn't force him into things, knew he would go soft on him if he wanted him to do so, but he was unsure about this position. It meant that, even though he'd play the role of bottom, he'd have to do the work. Jäger had hoped Fuze would do that, as he seemed to be a lot more confident with his body. 

"Don't worry, this way you'll be able to take it at your own pace and stop if you need to. You can set the pace, you'll have full control. I'll support you." Fuze reassured him with a lazy smile. Jäger bit his lip nervously, but he seemed to have been comforted by Fuze's words. With a sweet smile at Fuze, he slowly gathered the lube and condoms, and set to the task of fitting the condom and lubing Fuze's cock. With Jäger's soft, warm hand on his dick, Fuze had to close his eyes and concentrate on his breathing in order not to get too excited. They had only just begun, and he still had a lot to do... And so when Jäger finished, he sat on Fuze's lap again, looking at his boyfriend with a mixture of uncertainty, curiosity and admiration. Fuze loved how he tilted his head slightly, so innocent, so pure. Yet so horny. 

"Are you ready?" Jäger asked, looking at the Uzbek who was built up with sexual frustration and yet still didn't allow himself too much pleasure in order to let their private time last as long as possible. Fuze held his breath and nodded, watching how Jäger started to position his body above his erection. 

The tip of Fuze's dick touched Jäger's hole, making both men tense in anticipation. Jäger's heart pounded in his chest and he panted as he began to fit Fuze inside him. It was a tight fit, a _very_ tight fit, and Jäger often moaned in discomfort. However, his prepared hole and Fuze's lubed dick simplified his task, and Jäger soon found he was past the head. He took a moment to breath and he was met by Fuze's gentle hands, holding him and stroking his legs softly. His boyfriend smiled at him encouragingly, and even though Fuze looked like he wanted to thrust his cock right up Jäger's ass and was about to explode, he didn’t act upon it. He really gave Jäger the time to get comfortable, and that encouraged the German. 

Now resting his arms on either side of Fuze's body, he slid his body lower and lower down Fuze's shaft. He groaned with effort, his tight ass not meant to fit something so big, and he shifted several times to get used to the feeling of being filled. Fuze muttered calming words to him, sweet nothings and Jäger was able to relax completely. He often glanced at Fuze, when he didn't have his eyes tightly shut in concentration, and could see just how hungry he was. 

Fuze trembled slightly. The feeling of Jäger, _God_ , the feeling to finally be inside Jäger, to feel his warm body around his dick and to experience what it _felt_ like when Jäger clenched around him, it was everything he had fantasized about and more. Even if Fuze had been capable of sophisticated thought right now, he wouldn't have been able to find a word that described how wonderful it felt. But his brains were overheating, all his senses were sharp and the feeling of Jäger on his dick was _intense_ , Fuze wondered if he could hold out as long as he wanted to. 

And then, _oh fuck_ , Jäger seemed to have decided he couldn’t fit more of Fuze up his ass, so he started _moving_ , carefully and hesitantly. But it felt heavenly, the small motion, the rubbing of Jäger's insides against Fuze's sensitive cock. Fuze threw his head back and gasped while Jäger slid himself up and down, improvising how to move on the spot. However, seeing how Fuze reacted to every small movement, Jäger soon started to feel more confident. His clever mind quickly thought of different movements, slower, harder, short or long, and he made them up as he went along. Every action had a reaction, and both men were turned on massively by Jäger's explorations. The German's continuous moans never failed, though now they started to sound more satisfied than pained. Fuze groaned in return, loving the slow, gentle sex. 

Placing his hands on his hips, Fuze groaned loud as Jäger started to move more confidently. He had gotten used to the pain and the pleasure, Fuze's size and was aware of his own movements. He rode the Uzbek tirelessly, slow and gentle, always making sure he didn't move too far down. He didn't yet feel sure enough to take all of Fuze's length in, afraid it would hurt. And so he felt comfortable with just rocking his hips as he was; soft and safe. 

Fuze enjoyed soft and safe. Nothing wrong with that. But now that Jäger seemed to be accustomed to his large member, he figured he could be slightly less careful. The Uzbek started to thrust Jäger up and down, desperate for more friction, and in turn Jäger gripped Fuze's arms to steady himself. He looked at his boyfriend in alarm, afraid he would get hurt, but Fuze kept to his slow pace and only allowed himself that little bit more friction. He smirked apologetically at Jäger - as if to say 'I can't help myself' - and Jäger blushed. The German moaned louder now, panted harder now, and he held onto the bed sheets next to Fuze. The smaller man was having a hard time rocking his own hips and dealing with the gentle, but consistent force of Fuze's thrusts. He was starting to get overwhelmed. 

With his pulsing dick inside of him, Fuze could feel himself getting close. He didn't want to cum yet. Not until he had fucked Jäger himself, personally and intimately. Jäger seemed to get weary, so Fuze figured this was the best moment for a switch. He groaned. "Get off, Marius, and lie down on your back." 

Jäger looked up, his eyes hazy and his hair messy. His brains were busy with only one thing - _riding Fuze's dick_ \- so he needed a moment to register what the Uzbek had said. When he did understand it, he slowed down his pace and lifted himself up and off of Fuze's dick with a groan. Fuze groaned with him, already missing that intense heat Jäger's body provided. Jäger lay himself down, indeed quite exhausted from all new feelings and experiences and just panted, idly playing with his semi-boner. He couldn’t wrap his slow mind around the possibility of a second erection. Sex was so good. How come they hadn’t done this before? 

Getting up, Fuze licked his lips as he looked at the forbidden fruit on his bed. Defiled now, no longer a virgin, Jäger still seemed like an angel. So pure he was, and Fuze wanted to do him so badly. He got off the bed, pulled Jäger closer to the edge by his hips and lifted his legs. The German seemed to be caught by surprise, his eyes wide and his legs spread unceremoniously, showcasing his already red and sore ass hole. 

"What are you going to do?" Jäger asked, a hidden tone of panic in his voice. 

"Fuck you." Fuze said bluntly, and he saw the effect it had on the smaller man. His pupils dilated until there only seemed to be black orbs in his eyes and he bit his lip. "Do you want that?" 

"Yes, please." Jäger immediately moaned, wanton and needy. God, had he ever thought that Fuze telling him he was about to fuck him was the hottest thing ever? Because right now, he believed there wasn't a more arousing thing in the whole world. Had he really been blind to Fuze's handsome face and attraction only a few weeks ago? He couldn't imagine they had once been awkward friends sitting at the workshop all day. This was much better. 

Fuze smirked as he adjusted the condom around his dick and wrapped Jäger's legs around his hips, bringing him closer to his throbbing dick. With his legs spread and the lusftul look in his eyes, Jäger looked so inviting... Fuze aligned his cock with Jäger's hole, ready and so fucking horny. The German whined and squirmed underneath him, eager to be filled again. Hadn't he been hesitant only several minutes ago? He figured Jäger really could turn insanely horny with the right preparation... 

Holding Jäger's hips tightly, Fuze started penetrating his hole. He desperately tried to divide his attention to watching Jäger's reaction – to see if he was being gentle enough, but also to see his face screw up in a mixture of pain and pleasure – and to seeing how his dick stretched Jäger even more so than his fingers had done before. Jäger moaned his name, arching his back while Fuze inserted himself. Slow, so painfully slow, but the Uzbek didn't want to hurt his precious little Jäger. He was too fond of the man below him to act on his instincts; which were to shove his dick inside and fuck Jäger's brains out. 

Slowly, Fuze slipped in more and more of his impressive length. Jäger squirmed underneath his hands, panting, moaning, sweating and sucking air in through his teeth. His eyes were closed, concentrated on the feeling of being filled once again. He didn't notice that Fuze got deeper inside of him than before, so busy he was trying to stay relaxed and not clench around the dick up his ass too tightly. Only when Fuze shoved the last few centimetres in with a loud groan, dangerously close to losing his mind, did Jäger open his eyes. He gazed at his boyfriend, his eyes cloudy and wild. 

"Are you... Did you...?" Jäger wasn't able to form any words, his mouth responding too slow to his brains and his German accent obvious. _English_ , Jäger, _English_. 

"All in." Fuze smirked proudly, bucking his hips forward to let Jäger feel he was, in fact, all in. 

"Fuck," Jäger moaned and gasped. "Move." He then ordered, his voice dripping with lust. 

"As you wish." Fuze said, obeying gladly, and started to thrust. 

Jäger was a moaning mess as soon as they started. He groaned in pain, moaned in pleasure and panted like Thatcher had just set him a difficult obstacle course. All that, even though Fuze's thrusts were shallow and slow, giving Jäger all the time he needed to get accustomed to the feeling. But Jäger was overwhelmed, and really, who wouldn't be with the Uzbek's size, Jäger thought. All other thoughts were banished from his mind, it was just him and Fuze on the quietly creaking bed. Through lidded eyes he watched how Fuze rolled his hips, his toned body a lust for the eyes. Watching him thrust turned Jäger on even more, the controlled movements of his strong body, the pink hint on his cheeks, barely visible because of his slighter darker skin colour and his arms and hands holding him in place firmly. Jäger saw how his own legs were wrapped around Fuze's wide hips and saw how his body rocked into the thrusts on its own accord. 

"More." Jäger tried to moan, but found his voice was becoming hoarse. With a blush he realised he must have been moaning like a whore all this time. Fuze seemed to dig it, though, as he grinned and turned up his pace immediately. Jäger winced under the added force, keeping a tight hold on the mattress below him and now properly feeling how Fuze pulled back only to push back inside of him again. Every time he did, he seemed to get in deeper, seemed to crash into Jäger's hips harder and seemed to go faster. Jäger found himself opening up more and more, no longer uncomfortably clenched tightly around Fuze's dick like he had been when he had ridden the Uzbek. Fuze was taking care of him, and he was doing it real good. 

As Jäger moaned for more, Fuze found he was starting to lose control of his hips. His mind was becoming clouded with lust and hunger for release. His movements were becoming grander, his thrusts faster and more forceful. He groaned every time he slid in all the way and saw how Jäger threw his head back onto the mattress and arched his back. He was loving it. Jäger was loving being fucked. His moans and pleasured face were encouraging Fuze so much, he couldn't hold back any longer. What if they pushed the limit? 

Fuze now rammed into the man below him, his fingers digging into his cheeks. Jäger was so irresistible, so squeezable, so delicious yet it somehow was sinful to fuck him so roughly. But the German loved it, moaning out loud and gripping the bed sheets, his knuckles white. He was beautiful. If possible, Jäger's moans became even more erratic as Fuze started hitting his prostate. The Uzbek soon found he wouldn't be able to continue much longer at this pace. A hot feeling was forming in his lower belly and his thrusts were no longer in sync with Jäger's rocking hips. To be fair, how long had he been denying himself an orgasm now? How long had he been wanting to fuck Jäger like this? He couldn't control himself any longer. 

Feeling his dick twitch inside Jäger, Fuze came hard. He groaned Jäger's name, tightening his grip on his hips as if that was all he could clung onto as the powerful orgasm washed over him. He closed his eyes tightly, relishing in the wonderful feeling of cumming in his boyfriend for the first time. Jäger moaned his name in response, feeling the Uzbek's dick throb inside of him. 

While Fuze panted and got off his high slowly, Jäger stroked his arms softly. He admired Fuze for his stamina, and when the Uzbek finally pulled out of him with an exhausted groan, Jäger pulled him on the bed next to him. There he took the used, full condom off Fuze's now shrinking dick gently and disposed of it. He then cuddled his boyfriend, who looked tired but satisfied. Honestly, Jäger felt the same. He felt sore and spent, but he had loved every second of their intercourse. He knew he wouldn’t be able to walk properly tomorrow, but it didn’t matter at that moment. Because right then, he felt extremely happy. 

They didn't need to talk. Instead they just smiled at each other before Jäger huddled closer to Fuze, holding him as if he was the most precious thing in his life. And he was. Like Jäger was to Fuze. Fuze chuckled softly when Jäger's arms almost constricted him. 

A real hugger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay first of all, I will "blame" my fellow writers for making Jäger into a cam boy, it's really sexualized the poor little German for me (and I loved those fics) so hence why he's so eager in my own story (x Besides that, I realised their first time should maybe have been a bit less heated but... God we all waited 13 chapters for them to have sex (yes me included) so I thought they might as well go all in (;  
> Second... I'm not really happy with the foreplay here but I hope the rest made up for it.
> 
> **IMPORTANT:** For those of you who are already waiting for the next chapter (you're sweet c:), I am going on holiday tomorrow and I'll be gone for a week. I worked so hard to get both chapters done before I would leave, but I won't make it. I'm sorry for that. This means the last chapter will be up in about 2 weeks or so. I apologise again :c I might also be slower replying to your comments, but I can assure you I read them all and will reply to all in the end. They really encourage me and I love reading what you all think c:
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading and supporting this story, it means a lot to me! <3


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back all!
> 
> First of all, I owe you an apology. It has taken me way longer than I like to upload this chapter. I blame an unfortunate-timed writer’s block. So I’d like to thank:  
> You, the readers, for your patience;  
> My fellow writers, for their understanding and support;  
> My friends, for cheering me up and supporting me;  
> And my boyfriend, who brainstormed with me and actually helped me with this chapter.
> 
> I am amazed, but happy to say that once I got back to writing this, I couldn’t stop. Hence why this is not the last chapter yet... I wrote two last chapters! I hope you will enjoy them c:

_Above the North Sea, a day later._

Jäger sat playing with his ADS, several kilometres above the vast North Sea. He tried to distract himself, get his thoughts off the looming near future: their biggest mission yet. It turned out the rumours had been true and the White Masks had indeed planned a large operation. That they would take over the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels, however, nobody had expected. They allegedly held hostages and had planted a bomb, demanding a large sum of money or they would blow up the building, with the politicians in it. For this mission, Six had decided the whole team would be deployed; and so all twenty operators were sent out. 

His first time with Fuze hadn’t even been more than 24 hours ago. Jäger couldn't help the smile spreading on his face as he thought back how it had been. The German closed his eyes and waited for the heat to leave his face. He shouldn't sit there with flushed cheeks, but he had to admit: it had been magical; Fuze was the perfect bed partner. When the two had finally bothered to get up yesterday, they were met by Kapkan and Glaz in the Spetsnaz living room. Glaz had tried to brief them on the mission quickly and seriously while Kapkan asked who banged who with a smirk. Fuze had merely glared at Kapkan, a victory in itself to Jäger as the Uzbek didn’t resort to violence as he usually would. Jäger had blushed immensely, but luckily Glaz stayed professional. The sniper had smacked his boyfriend and continued his briefing, no questions asked. Kapkan had just been grinning stupidly at the two love birds. 

Looking around, Jäger could now feel the tension in the transport helicopter he sat in. He was team Bravo, led by Castle. His teammates for this mission were Mute, Bandit, Kapkan and Smoke, and it was their primary mission to diffuse the bomb. Now you're probably thinking: Bandit, Kapkan and Smoke in one team? Isn't that a bit risky? Yes. Yes, it is. Jäger was fully aware of that, and it was one of the many reasons this mission made him feel uneasy. Even when they had barely left Hereford Base, the three of them had already caused a lot of chaos. Bandit had thought it would be funny to unbuckle Kapkan's safety buckles, resulting in the Russian nearly falling out of the transport helicopter when it made a sharp turn in the air. Smoke and Bandit had laughed their asses off at the sight of Kapkan's scared, white face, after which the Russian simply laughed with them as if he hadn't just almost lost his life due to Bandit's silly pranks. Mute had been furious with Smoke, even though the Brit hadn't really been involved in the near-accident. Jäger had looked at Bandit with wide eyes. He couldn't believe his former GSG9 teammate had nearly killed his best friend, and was laughing about it. When Bandit met his eyes with his own, he only gave a smirk and a wink. Castle had tried to calm the pranksters down. Even though Jäger preferred having Blitz as his team leader, he fully trusted the American. He had only been in Castle's squad once before, but he knew the man was responsible, relaxed and he radiated a feeling of comfort. Where Bandit, Kapkan and Smoke made him feel worried, Castle made him feel confident. Jäger decided he would just try to stick with him and Mute and hope those idiots would just do their jobs. 

Next to their helicopter were two more transport helicopters, also on their way to Brussels. Team Alpha, made up of IQ, Fuze, Sledge, Twitch, Pulse and their team leader Thermite, flew the lowest. This team's job was to take out all and any hostiles they encountered and provide support to both team Bravo and team Charlie. Fuze kept throwing dead stares at Pulse, still mad out of his mind at the American for fucking up his sex advice, but the Uzbek controlled his anger just barely by just throwing hateful glances at him. Pulse himself almost hadn’t been able to take part in this mission, as he had suddenly disappeared that morning. A few minutes before they were meant to leave he was found, asleep in one of the dark storage rooms in a far-away corner of the base. The American had no idea how he had got there, his muscles stiff by having slept on the floor. He had been locked up all night, and Fuze could only guess who was behind the disappearance of Pulse. He had been pretty satisfied with the punishment and Six had let it slide since they needed to leave as soon as possible. Now Pulse kept stretching and flexing his muscles, his face screwing up in annoyance as his body hurt. Next to him sat IQ and Twitch together, talking softly and not paying the men much mind. Thermite and Sledge sat next to Fuze and excitedly discussed the best tactics. They decided a lot, disregarded a lot of ideas and in the end came to some sort of agreement Fuze didn't care about. He would just blow these White Masks up. It would be as simple as that. Fuze was sure. 

The last helicopter carried team Charlie, made up of Blitz, Montagne, Ash, Tachanka, Rook and their team leader Thatcher. Their objective was to rescue the hostages once they had been located. Calm and fearless, Thatcher was confident in his team's success. Equally as calm was Montagne, who sat relaxed, eyes half closed, his back against his seat and radiating a sense of confidence. Tachanka sat back in his seat as well, his large helmet on his lap and his eyes closed. The big Russian looked quite relaxed; a contrast to Rook next to him. The younger Frenchman sat biting his nails, obviously worried about the upcoming mission, the risks and the fact he and Twitch had been separated. Rook liked to seem tough, but it was a fact he preferred to have his girlfriend close and where he could keep an eye on her. Blitz sat next to him and tried to comfort him, but it was a fact he was equally as worried. Though, he was not worried about his boyfriend, Bandit. He was more worried about his best friend Jäger, who had been put in a team with three of the most idiotic ops of the whole base. He knew Bandit cared more about the smaller German than he cared to admit and wouldn't do anything to put him in danger, but Blitz worried nonetheless. On the other side of the helicopter, Ash actually sat reading a magazine lazily, seeming pretty unconcerned with the danger of their next mission. 

Doc and Glaz were seated in the co-pilot seats of two of the helicopters. They had not been assigned to any of the teams, but Six had briefed them seperately. It was their mission to provide support to all teams. Six had arranged a sniper spot for Glaz where he would be able to see a large part of the building. Doc was to remain with the team that needed him most, and switch whenever needed. As the only medic on the team, Doc was irreplaceable. 

All in all, the team was well-prepared and professional, but nervous. This was the largest mission they had been on yet since they had been selected for Team Rainbow SIX. However, with their varied skills, experience and knowledge, they were the perfect counter for the White Masks. Even though every country had its own special counter-terrorism force, the White Masks were SIX' specialty. The terrorists of this group were tougher, more dangerous and more capable than anything NATO had ever expected. 

Land was coming into view; they were close now. Belgium is a small country within Europe, bordering to France in the south, Germany in the east and the Netherlands in the north. The North Sea lies on its west, providing the country with beaches on its coast. The people, who speak Flemish in the western parts and French in the eastern parts, are friendly and good-humoured. The fact that of all countries, Belgium sees so many terrorist attacks, is saddening. But alas, important offices of the European Union and even the headquarters and the president of the European Commission are located in this central European country, so the risk of terrorist threats is fairly high. 

Within a few minutes, the helicopters started to drop slowly. They would soon land in the outskirts of Brussels, as to not raise suspicion within the Berlaymont building, their objective. The White Masks were everything but stupid, and would immediately know if something was off. For this reason they also couldn't land on top of the building, which would have allowed at least one team to rappel down and keep the element of surprise. They would have to go floor by floor – a very basic strategy opposed to what they were used to on missions. So the helicopters landed and the ops checked their guns and gear one last time before they exited the vehicles rapidly and regrouped with their squad leaders a few metres away from the roaring blades. Glaz set off for his designated sniper spot, keeping close contact with the squad leaders over their comms. He carried Tachanka's mounted gun, which he would set up at the end of their mission as the team left the building. He might have to provide the teams with cover fire. 

The helicopters took off again immediately, and would wait at a good distance of the capital city in order to pick up the operators again after their mission. 

Team Alpha led the attack. Thermite signalled to Castle and Thatcher, and then told his own team to follow him. Through streets they ran, big roads and small alleys, navigating through the large city that was Brussels and keeping in contact through the comms and sticking together, a few metres between every team. They halted when there seemed to be a threat, and continued when the coast was clear. They hurried towards the big building in the heart of the city as quietly as they could, single-file or in pairs, regularly looking ahead or back at the rest of the team to make sure everyone was keeping up. 

Once they reached the building, they still remained silent. It was key to not raise alarm, because the terrorists could then potentially shoot a hostage in response if they knew they were being attacked. For a moment they all stood gaping at the building, huge and tall as it was with its 13 floors and surrounded by blue flags with yellow stars in a circle, waving proudly in the wind. The sight was rather impressive, especially because the team knew they’d have to sweep the whole building clear of enemies. They didn't get much time to ponder over the risks and problems; Thermite, Castle and Thatcher urged them on. 

The team took in defensive positions as Thermite stalked over to the building along with Twitch. The American placed his special breach charge on the thick wall of the building while the Frenchwoman covered him with her F2 rifle. 

“A really big fucking hole coming right up!” Thermite smugly said as he activated the charge. He took position along the wall, aiming his gun roughly where the hole would soon be. Twitch crouched on the other side of the charge, ready to fire her weapon should the terrorists behind the wall be ready for the assault. 

A deafening explosion followed, the sound of it echoing through the deserted streets of the city. The people in the surrounding buildings had been evacuated long before, so nobody but them and the terrorists heard it. The siege was about to begin. 

On the streets, Jäger let his eyes wander over the other operators gathered near him, all crouched down and hiding. His eyes found Fuze, who looked at him as well. They smiled at each other. Although, they didn’t really know if they did, seeing as their faces were hidden behind masks, but they felt a brief connection and it comforted Jäger. _All would be well._

When Twitch and Thermite had dealt with the first few hostiles in the room, they gave the all-clear. Thermite barked over the comms: “Team Alpha, regroup around me.” Immediately Sledge, IQ, Fuze and Pulse left their defensive positions and rushed over to join the two operators. Doc followed as well, being needed by Team Alpha as they would lead the initial attack. Cautiously, the team entered the building. 

Jäger watched his boyfriend and his team disappear out of view, and a wave of uncertainty washed over him. Will he ever see Fuze again? He knew their job was dangerous and he knew he shouldn’t have gotten so emotionally attached with almost all members of team Rainbow SIX, but it was also a fact that, especially in their job, they needed friends to support them and pour their heart out to. Blitz had been that friend, someone who was always there for him and supported him through thick and thin. Losing Blitz would break his heart. And Fuze, Fuze had turned out to be even more than a friend. In panic Jäger thought he would probably die as well if he were to lose Fuze in this mission. The Uzbek operator had given him a kiss on the forehead that morning, just as they were about to board their separate helicopters. Jäger had thought it was extremely sweet of Fuze to show his affection for him in public like that, even though it left both of them blushing and smiling like idiots. Bandit and Kapkan had been smirking when Jäger climbed into their helicopter afterwards, but they didn't say anything. Now that he thought of it, Jäger would even be immensely sad if they were to lose one of the pranksters. Hereford Base would never be the same again. Yes, even losing anyone else would severely affect the team's morale. They had all become some sort of family, with the necessary ups and downs, fights and laughs, but they worked and lived as one. Jäger would be sad to lose any one of them – apart from Pulse, maybe. 

"Team Charlie, drones out." Thatcher ordered over the comms when the others had been inside for a few minutes. While Team Bravo, along with Rook and Tachanka, covered them, Thatcher, Blitz, Montagne and Ash released their drones and would attempt to find the bomb room. As the bombs were expected to be planted somewhere around the first few levels, the team used their drones to try and locate them before Team Alpha did. The White Masks had probably guarded these objectives well, so the attacking team did well to know where these rooms exactly were. 

Meanwhile, inside, Thermite and his team Alpha were making good progress. The enemies that had been close to his breach charge were aware of the team's presence, yes, but as they were in panic, their defences were chaotic. Team Alpha was confident and resolute, pushing on and defeating any hostile that came on their path, so the White Masks fell, one by one. Doc followed behind them, offering support but also staying away from direct threats as he was too valuable to be injured so early on in the mission. 

Team Alpha would continue to clear out enemies until Glaz had spotted the hostage room, until the drones had spotted the bomb rooms or until they needed reinforcements. Tense minutes passed by. Out on the streets, it was quiet, but teams Bravo and Charlie knew that a feverish battle was being fought inside. From time to time they could even hear the gun fire and the explosions of bombs. With bated breaths, they waited until they were needed, for the moment feeling useless and frustrated. 

Glaz, having had some great shots at enemies on the lower floors and thus supporting team Alpha as they attacked, was the first to contact the team leaders: "Hostages spotted on the 8th floor. I have a clear shot. Requesting permission to fire." 

Castle and Thatcher shared a look. "Negative. Wait for team Charlie to join team Alpha." Castle instructed Glaz while Thatcher got up. Just as the old Brit wanted to order his team to move out, they found the bombs. 

"Bombs spotted on the 5th level!" Ash cried out. 

"Team Bravo, be ready to move out." Castle ordered. 

Team Charlie put their feeds away and picked their guns back up. "Follow me." Thatcher barked, and within a few seconds both teams were entering the building. On the first floors their going was easy. All enemies had been dealt with already here; their bodies littered the floor. The team didn't pay them more mind than necessary, stepping over the lifeless terrorists who had threatened the lives of their teammates only minutes ago. Jäger stuck to Castle in the front, their weapons raised even though there didn't seem to be any direct threat. Then followed Smoke and Mute, who kept an eye on each other, both assuming a protective role over the other. At the back were Kapkan and Bandit, who looked extremely relaxed and carried their guns loosely in their hands. The two didn't seem so bothered by the upcoming action, probably feeling extremely comfortable in the other's presence. The weird thing about Kapkan and Bandit was, they could work together on their pranks and pull pranks on each other, seemingly careless about the whether they were hurting each other or not, but they still worked together like a horse and its rider. Knowing each other so well, they seemed to know exactly what the other was thinking and acted fluently. Bandit and Kapkan were actually a pretty good combination on the battlefield. 

Team Charlie followed closely behind. Thatcher led the pack on his own, determined and focused. Ash was on his heels, keeping her M120 CREM at the ready. Blitz and Rook followed her, struggling to keep up with the fact pace. Montagne and Tachanka were behind them, slowly following the rest. Two shield operators had seemed a bit silly to them when Six had revealed their teams for this mission, but they figured that, as they had to rescue the hostages, they would profit from their protection. Following this conclusion, Blitz and Montagne had briefly discussed shield tactics together before they had been deployed to Belgium. 

Soon both teams caught up with team Alpha on the 3rd level. After the ops briefly checked up on each other (Doc had already had to patch up IQ as she had been following her screen indicating the presence of some nitro cell and hadn't noticed several White Masks), they continued together. Alpha took care of the hostiles coming their way while Bravo and Charlie took care of any side rooms that potentially held enemies. As per usual, all three teams worked together perfectly well, just as they had been trained. Glaz provided support from his sniper spot outside the building and Doc's presence alone boosted the team's morale, as they knew they'd be in good hands were they to get hit. 

For this reason, team Bravo parted reluctantly with the rest once they had reached the 5th floor. Jäger waved weakly at Fuze, who gave him a firm nod, hoping that would reassure the smaller German. Blitz and Bandit briefly squeezed each other's shoulder while Rook held Twitch in his arms gingerly. Then the teams parted ways, most operators with an uncomfortable feeling in their guts. Now the real work would begin for team Bravo. 

"Set up and get ready for the assault." Castle told his team calmly when they were alone, and everybody set to work. The bombs were placed in a large canteen. There were four bombs in total and they were spread out throughout the room. If these bombs were to be detonated, the whole fifth floor would be practically gone and the rest of the eight floors would collapse onto them, and in the process crush the rest of the floors. It was critical to diffuse these bombs as fast as possible, or no one would survive at all. 

With the resources they had brought with them, the team was able to barricade half of the walls in the canteen. They knew that wouldn't nearly be enough, and the White Masks had powerful breach charges, but it would have to do. They hadn't expected the objective to be this big. They did not barricade any windows, giving Glaz the chance to peek inside should his help be necessary. 

Mute quickly put his jammers next to the barricaded walls, thus preventing any terrorists from using their breach charges and take the team by surprise. Bandit set out some barbed wire in the main entrance to the cafeteria and electrified it with a sick grin. Then he placed his remaining battery charges next to the walls Mute wasn't able to reach with his jammers. Kapkan ventured out of the objective and set his traps on all important entrances. Castle barricaded all smaller doors leading into the objective with his strong armour panels. Smoke placed his 'toxic babes', as the Brit called them, in bottle necks in the corridors around the objective. Last but not least, Jäger placed his ADS in critical points. He placed them near the bombs and doorways, as a single grenade could damage their diffusers, or worse, detonate one of the bombs. Even the explosion of one of the bombs could be fatal. Shields were put up and tables were overturned to provide the team with some cover while they were being assaulted. 

"Team Bravo, I see movement on your level. They must have used the fire escape to get down to your floor so quickly, I only just spotted them. Better place the diffuser asap." Glaz advised team Bravo over the comms. All team members looked at Castle in panic for a moment before they started to place the diffusers. 

The American stayed perfectly calm as he set up his diffuser, so Mute and Jäger immediately picked one up as well and set to work. Kapkan stalked out of the room as he preferred to roam around while defending, so Bandit and Smoke were tasked with placing the last diffuser. Clumsily and giggling nervously, they put the diffuser down at the last bomb. They got it to work just in time: when all diffusers started to count down, they could hear footsteps down the halls and corridors. 

Explosions and screams soon followed: the enemy fell for Kapkan's traps after which the Russian finished them in cold blood. Kapkan used their reaction to the traps – panic, confusion and chaos – to his advantage. He was completely in his element like this: hunting. 

While the Russian fended off their first assailants, the team inside the objective kept a nervous eye on the diffusers. They all worked perfectly well, with about 2 minutes left to go, but still their bodies remained tense. Jäger sat behind his shield, clutching his gun and listening to the sound of the battle Kapkan fought on his own with wide eyes. The Russian was so brave, whereas Jäger preferred to take careful peeks at their enemies and take them out one by one. Kapkan was fearless. Or was Jäger suddenly afraid to die? It occurred to him that he somehow felt more scared to die now. Scared, because he would leave his loved ones behind... 

Castle noticed Jäger's fear. He darted over to where the German sat hiding in fear and took off his dark sun glasses when he was in front of Jäger, hiding behind the shield. 

"Everything alright soldier?" 

Jäger forced himself to nod. Their squad leader had more important things on his mind than worrying about his team mates. 

"Don't be scared, Jäger." Castle said, as if he could read the German's mind. "We're gonna pull through, we're gonna make it. But we'll need your help in order to do that. We need to join forces pal." The American placed his strong hand on Jäger's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Don't be afraid. We're here. We got your six. Don't doubt that." The gun fire had ceased for a moment, but suddenly sounded very close again. 

" _Cyka_ , I'm down." Kapkan breathed lowly over the comms, his voice wheezing. Jäger grabbed his gun even tighter and swallowed hard. 

Castle gripped Jäger's shoulder and said loudly: "Now's our moment mate. Don't look back, we got your six!" 

Jäger nodded, suddenly feeling confidence coursing through his veins. Castle was right. He wasn't in this alone. His teammates were there and they cared about him. He glanced over at the others as Castle returned to his position and saw all of them looking at him sympathetically. Even Bandit gave him a relaxed thumbs up, as if he did this every day. Yes, these people would never quit, Jäger thought with a smile. How could he ever doubt them? He repositioned his hands on his gun, feeling how the weapon fitted in his hands perfectly as he held it comfortably. No more worries. 

The terrorists were close now. Smoke detonated his bombs, halting the enemies' rush for a moment. Some fell due to the toxic gasses while others retreated momentarily, terrified of the green smoke. It gave them a moment to breathe, and steady their guns before the White Masks would run into the objective and the face-off would start. 

It happened sooner than they liked. The enemies stormed in through the main entrance, but they also breached several walls, confusing the defenders as to where they should concentrate their fire. If it wasn't for Castle calmly instructing them over the comms, their defences would have fallen within seconds. 

"Mute, Jäger, focus fire on the main entrance. Bandit, Smoke, hold off any enemies trying to push through the breaches. I'll get the remaining ones." Castle's tough voice sounded over the comms and the team set to the task of clearing the enemies. The assault was fierce, but the defenders were brave and collected. 

One minute left to go. 

Then the defence was becoming sloppy. Mute was hit in his hand; it had only been a piece of hail of a shotgun, but it meant he had to fire with one hand while he pressed his wounded hand to his chest. The Brit didn't wine or complain, but he grunted quietly in pain from time to time. Smoke often threw him worried glances, which meant his full concentration wasn't on defending their objective. The main defence now came from Castle, Bandit and Jäger, who cursed the fact that Doc had followed the other teams instead of staying with them. No way the medic could get to them right now. And to make matters even worse, Kapkan then spoke through the comms weakly but with a hint of mocking: 

"D-Don't want to pressure you guys, but... Fuck... I'm bleeding out." 

All defenders momentarily froze. If they couldn't get to Kapkan fast, this wasn't going to end well. Castle sought cover for a moment to plan some kind of strategy while Smoke, Bandit and Jäger returned fire. Mute fought the enemies as well, but his aim was off and he didn't actually hit anything but the wall. 

After a few indecisive seconds, Castle rushed over to Jäger once again and hid behind his shield. 

"Jäger, I need your help. I can't send Smoke away from Mute right now, so it's either you or Bandit but I reckon that fucker is too reckless to save his friend. So I'm trusting you with this. Take down my armour panel on the door to your left. You shouldn't meet a lot of resistance. Time is of the essence. You need to save Kapkan." 

Jäger listened to Castle's orders carefully, an uneasy feeling in his guts. He glanced to his left, and sure enough saw the amour panel his squad leader was talking about. Was he really tasked with saving someone else's life? 

"Can I count on you, soldier?" Castle shouted over the sound of another breach charge going off. The White Masks were completely wrecking the room. 

"Y-yes sir!" Jäger heard himself say. 

"Good, we'll give you cover. Stay safe!" 

And with that, Castle returned to his position. Jäger swallowed and tried to control his breathing. Kapkan. He had to get to Kapkan. He looked around his shield and when he thought the coast was clear, he quickly rushed over to the door Castle mentioned. In one swift motion he tore down the armour panel and rushed through the doorway. With his gun raised, he carefully started walking. Step by step. No enemies to be seen here. 

"Kapkan, come in. Where are you exactly?" Jäger whispered over the comms. 

It took a terrifying long time before the Russian answered. "Some kind of storage room... Hurry up, there's one of those fuckers here... Don't like the look of his gun. Ah!" 

"Kapkan?!" Jäger cried out in worry as the Russian had screamed out in pain, but he got no answer. _Hurry, Jäger, hurry._ It felt like there was syrup in his brains. They worked extremely slow as the German tried to find his downed team mate. He couldn't be too late...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I love Belgium. Sorry xD Hope this chapter wasn’t too confusing and chaotic; I had my inspiration back so my fingers basically danced over my keyboard!


	15. Chapter 15

Jäger tried to go as fast as he could, but had to be careful at the same time. Some enemies were holding points, waiting to give the defenders a surprise attack. The German had to go around them or kill them, whatever solution suited the situation best. He worked frantically. He had to be fast, but he couldn't endanger his own life or both he and Kapkan wouldn't make it. After what felt like a long time but were probably just mere seconds, Jäger found the storage room. 

Kapkan lay on the floor, one hand gripping at a bleeding wound on his side while the other held the ankle of the White Mask that stood on him with one foot. The terrorist pushed Kapkan's chest down with his weight and had his gun aimed at the Russian's head. But from this angle, Jäger saw no fear in Kapkan's eyes. No, the Russian was _mocking_ the terrorist. 

"Lost your tongue? Or you just can't speak English?" Kapkan groaned in pain as the terrorist pressed down harder on his leg. But he kept going. "Shoot me then, pussy. C'mon then." 

Jäger could see the smirk in his teammate's eyes as he leaned around the corner and aimed his gun at the terrorist's head. The White Mask shouted something in an unintelligible language. It sounded like a threat, and he kept gesturing at Kapkan with the barrel of his gun. The Russian just chuckled at him. 

But Jäger had seen enough. He pulled the trigger, and one bullet of his assault rifle was enough to take out the hostile. Kapkan blinked stupidly when the terrorist fell to the floor harmlessly. Apparently he hadn't seen Jäger. 

"I was wondering what took you so long. Was just having a nice chat with Mr. Terrorist there." Kapkan nodded over at the dead White Mask and grimaced in pain as he rubbed his chest. 

Jäger rolled his eyes and kneeled next to the Russian. "Did he break anything?" 

Kapkan looked around lazily. "The furniture, probably. And a few ribs, maybe." 

Glaring at the Russian - _how could he make jokes when he was basically bleeding out right here and now?_ \- Jäger got out his emergency med kit. As Kapkan's uniform consisted of millions of layers and Jäger didn't have the time to strip the Russian down, he got out his knife and cut the fabric away. Kapkan watched him with interested eyes, but didn't comment on his ruined uniform. The German then started to dress Kapkan's wound carefully as he said: "I have called for Doc. They were held up by some enemies but he should come asap. Meanwhile I'll take care of you." 

The Russian sighed. "So I'll die in your arms. Not exactly how I planned to go, but oh well." 

"Shut it." Jäger warned him as he tried to concentrate. He looked over at the downed operator's face, and saw him grinning weakly. His face was as white as a sheet from the blood loss and he looked extremely tired. But he still managed a cocky smile. Jäger shook his head. This Russian had always been a weirdo to him. 

Jäger worked as fast as he could while Kapkan remained quiet. They both weren't aware of the decrease in the sound of battle; the gun fire started to quiet down and at one point everything was silent. Jäger only looked up when he heard footsteps behind him. 

It was Doc. 

"How's he doing?" The Frenchman looked friendly yet tired as he crouched down next to Jäger. He immediately began inspecting Kapkan's body. 

"Large wound on his side I have tried to dress and one or more ribs broken. He has some problems breathing." Jäger stated as he made space for the medic. 

"Thank you Jäger, I'll manage now. Regroup with Castle." Doc said as he got his own med kit out and gave Kapkan additional care. Jäger nodded, even though the Frenchman couldn't see it, and with one last glance at Kapkan's face – he looked extremely weak now - Jäger returned to his team in the objective. 

Luckily, all had ended well during the defense. All bombs were diffused and Mute's hand injury was the only one for the team, apart from Kapkan's injuries, of course. They were to meet up with Alpha and Charlie asap, as they were about to extract the hostages. The mission had been going surprisingly well, with only a few injuries among the operators, and it worried the team. Usually the White Masks didn't let themselves get bested so easily, so something was bound to go wrong still. 

And it was. 

When team Bravo joined team Alpha and Charlie, half the team was in panic. 

First of all, Ash, IQ and Pulse were injured pretty badly, up to the point where they could barely walk. Doc had seen to them and they were now supported by team mates, but by the looks of it, they couldn't take much more and needed to be extracted right away. Apart from that, several operators had minor injuries. 

Secondly, two hostages had been shot dead as the attacking teams had posed a threat to the White Masks. That was a huge failure to the teams, but nothing could be done about it now. The remaining hostages were gathered around the team, all provided with Rook's plates and enjoying the safety of both Montagne's and Blitz' shield as they were getting ready to leave the building. 

The third problem was told by Thatcher, who rushed over to team Bravo once he saw them. 

"Eighty. We counted bloody eighty, with the dead added up to that." He grumbled. When Team Bravo didn't immediately respond, he added: "There were supposed to be a hundred! The White Masks are hiding the last twenty! Could you believe it..." 

Thermite joined them. "They probably heard us coming and took precautionary measures. Glaz is trying to spot them from outside, but no luck yet. He's having a hard time shooting anyway because the building is protected from the outside." 

Castle nodded thoughtfully. "So what do you guys reckon?" 

While the squad leaders were planning a strategy, the members of Team Bravo joined the others. They either comforted the hostages, their team mates or tried to find their friends. Blitz hugged Bandit, who looked a bit embarrassed yet relieved to see his boyfriend was okay, Mute and Smoke sat down together while Smoke held Mute's hand gingerly and Rook and Twitch were caring for the hostages together. The rest was providing aid to anyone who needed it while their situation was quiet for a moment and they weren't attacked. 

Jäger searched through the crowd until he had found Fuze. When they had spotted each other, the Uzbek immediately pulled him into a tight hug and Jäger hugged back as if his life depended on it. They stood like that for a moment, merely glad the other hadn't got hurt. 

"How are you?" Jäger asked when they broke apart. 

"Alright..." Fuze replied, before he added softly: "But I like me better when I'm with you." 

A smile spread on Jäger's face, even though Fuze couldn't see it. Jäger hugged him again, and Fuze just held the smaller German tenderly. 

"Alright boys and girls, listen up." The old man Thatcher spoke up, and the room went quiet. The hostages looked afraid but had stated they didn't know where their colleagues had been taken either. They really just wanted to get out. The ops looked at Thatcher, ready to follow every order. "Glaz hasn't been able to spot the last hostages, but he noticed the complete upper floor has been boarded up so his best guess is that they're being held there. Possibly with the best White Masks." 

"I will be taking a team up there to save the hostages. The others will extract these hostages and our wounded team mates. Is that clear?" Thermite looked around the room and waited for all ops to say 'yes sir'. 

"The hostages and our wounded team mates, IQ, Pulse, kapkan and Ash, will be extracted by the largest team, as there's so many of us. Doc, Twitch, Mute, Bandit, Thatcher, Blitz, Rook, Montagne and I will see to that. Once we get close to the exit, Glaz will give us cover fire. Thermite will take Sledge, Fuze, Smoke, Jäger and Tachanka up with him to save the last hostages. Am I clear?" 

The ops affirmed. Both teams immediately got ready to leave. One team up, one team down. 

Jäger, standing next to Fuze, gripped his hand. 

"It's not over yet." Fuze sighed. 

"No..." Jäger answered, a bit unsure. 

"At least we can stay together now." Fuze quickly said in an attempt to cheer his boyfriend up. 

"Yeah..." Jäger responded absent-mindedly. 

They didn't get anymore time to talk. Thermite made them say quick good byes to the other operators and before they knew it, they were already climbing the stairs up to the 13th and last floor. 

Now, breaching this floor was going to be a problem. They didn't have the element of surprise as they couldn't breach in from up top, so they'd have to work extremely carefully. They couldn't afford anymore civilian deaths today. Fuze couldn't use his Matryoshka because he'd kill the hostages instantly. Jäger and Smoke's devices were useless as well, Tachanka didn't have his gun so they only had Sledge and Thermite's breaching skills. Everything could go wrong if they weren't fast enough. 

It was eerily quiet on their way to the top. The team didn't meet any enemies at all, which gave them a false sense of safety. It also made them wonder if they were even going the right way. Time was of the essence, and the White Masks had probably already found out that their attackers had succeeded in dismantling the bombs and rescuing the majority of the hostages. It could be that the last twenty hostages had already been killed and the team was about to walk into a trap, or the terrorists had thought of another devilish plan. Either way, the team had no idea what they were facing. All they knew is that they should save the last hostages and clear out the last enemies. How hard could that be? 

Thermite led the team all the way to the top of the Berlaymont building. The White Masks had cut the electricity, so they were forced to use the stairs. By the time they arrived at the 12th floor, they were exhausted and panting. Thermite gave them a brief moment to catch their breaths. So, crouched down in the cover of darkness, the team tried to control their breathing. 

"It could be risky," Thermite whispered as he panted, "but we could try and drone the place. We'll know exactly where they are and what's going on inside if we do, but if they spot our drones they could potentially kill a hostage." 

"I say we risk it." Sledge replied immediately. "We need to know what we're up against." The others nodded as well. 

"Alright then, as long as we're careful. A quick peek inside is enough." Thermite warned them. "Smoke, Jäger, Tachanka, cover us. Drones out." 

Jäger watched as Sledge, Thermite and Fuze gently put down their drones and navigated them up the stairs via a small phone screen. With bated breaths the defenders waited while the attackers scanned the perimeter. 

"Hostiles spotted." Fuze whispered. "Hold up- what are they doing?" 

"Shit!" Smoke cursed as they heard a door open. Thermite, Sledge and Fuze immediately put their screens away and picked up their guns. They shuffled even further into the dark corridor they were halting in, hoping whoever was up there wouldn't spot them if they were to come down the stairs. 

But down the stairs they came, and all blood drained from the team's faces when they saw who it was: a hostage, trembling from head to toe, her eyes open wide and her movements reluctant. What was she doing? Had she escaped? 

The sound of a gunshot, the team saw concrete chipping off the stairs where the woman walked, right beside her feet. She shrieked. 

"Keep walking!" A male voice sounded angrily, his accent very obvious. A White Mask. "They're somewhere there. Find them." 

The team didn't make a sound, but once the woman reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw them. She looked extremely terrified, like a bunny that's still kicking in a trap. She stood still, shaking. 

Thermite didn't trust it. If this were any normal situation, he'd have motioned for the hostage to come to them. But the terrorist's instructions made him doubt. That, and the fact the woman was quite slim but she seemed to be unexplainably fat around her tummy. Thermite motioned for the team to retreat even more. Soundlessly, they shuffled further into the shadows as the woman looked like she was about to cry. It was a sight the whole team would have nightmares about for weeks on end after this mission. 

The woman was dealing with the most dramatic choice of her life: if she were to stay still and let the men in front of her, their rescue, escape, then the terrorist on top of the stairs would shoot her dead immediately. If she were to rush to her rescuers, the terrorist would detonate the bomb he had fastened around her body and then no one would make it out alive. And so she watched with tears in her eyes as the soldiers retreated into adjacent rooms. She was the guinea pig. The terrorists' plan wasn't working and she was going to suffer from that. 

"Well? Do you see anything?" The male voice snarled from up the stairs. 

As the tears streamed down her face, the woman shook her head. 

A series of curses in a language she didn't understand flowed from the man's tongue. He came stamping down the stairs, grabbed her hair roughly and pulled her back up the stairs. He shouted at her in his own language as she screamed, cried and begged for mercy. The team watched the two go up in horror. 

The door closed. They could still hear the woman sobbing. Then, the sound of a gun, and it was completely quiet again. 

Thermite let his head hang. Of course he couldn’t have risked the safety of his team. After all, they were supposed to save these people, but the fact he hadn't been able saved the terrified woman weighed heavily on his mind. The scene had upset his team as well, but they had to act quickly now. If the White Masks were going to send every hostage down like that, there soon wouldn't be much use to their rescue. 

And so, Thermite made his team come out of the shadows and up the stairs quietly but quickly. He cursed the fact that they weren't aware of any possible other stairs, that there wasn't enough time to plan an attack, but they had to push on. Every second mattered. 

Fuze and Jäger gathered around Thermite while Smoke and Tachanka followed Sledge to the only room the terrorists could be hiding in. They held their breaths for a moment and listened. They heard the quiet sobbing of the hostages and the aggressive but hushed voices of the terrorists, who were probably planning their next step. There was one positive thing about their situation, which was that the White Masks had no idea of their whereabouts. If they could breach in when the enemies didn't expect them – of course they expected them, but they didn't know _when_ or _where_ the team would attack – they could possibly save all the hostages without anyone getting hurt. 

Fuze looked at Jäger. Jäger looked back. Even though they couldn't see each other in the dark, their eye contact meant more than any facial expression or any soothing word. Fuze squeezed Jäger's shoulder gently, comforting the German that he wasn't alone. Jäger knew that the Uzbek would go to any lengths to keep him safe. He highly hoped that wouldn't be necessary, though. On the other hand, Fuze was feeling extremely nervous. He hadn't been feeling himself lately, as he was changing his behaviour for Jäger, so his aggressiveness and bloodlust were kept at a minimum. He felt some kind of inner peace because of the German, one he had never felt before. He just hoped he could still act on the battlefield the way he usually would. 

Thermite placed his last breach charge while the Scotsman got ready to destroy the wall at a different spot with his hammer. With trembling hands, Fuze got a flash grenade out. He told himself to focus on the task at hand, but he found he doubted himself. What if something were to happen to Jäger, and he couldn't save him in time? Sledge handed Tachanka one of his own flash grenades. At their squad leader's sign, Sledge breached a hole in the wall at the same time as Thermite's breach charge blew a hole in the wall. Tachanka flung the flash grenade right in, but Fuze got spooked by the sudden explosion and dropped his. Primed. 

"Fuck!" The Uzbek cursed, and all three men weren't in time to look away. Thermite, Jäger and Fuze were blinded while Sledge, Tachanka and Smoke stormed into the objective, unaware of what was going on on Thermite's side. Disorientated, the three tried to find cover in panic while gunfire sounded inside. Screams, shouts, cries of pain were mixed with the sound of gunfire. The three blinded allies didn't know what was going on, if they were winning or losing, if their team mates were safe. 

An agonizing cry of pain told everyone they weren't. 

Jäger. 

They were beginning to get back their sight as Fuze frantically sought for his boyfriend. Inside, Smoke had heard Jäger's cry and had blind-shot killed the terrorist that was about to kill his German team mate. Jäger himself apparently hadn't been able to find sufficient cover while he was blind, and now sat on the floor gripping at his arm. He was panting and his whole body was stiff, but he seemed to be okay. Immediately Thermite and Fuze got up to join their team mates in the objective, but they were faced with a horrible sight as they jumped through Thermite's breach hole. 

Tachanka, Smoke and Sledge had put down their guns. They stood, arms raised, glaring into the objective. Even though their masks revealed no emotions, the atmosphere in the objective was tense. Anger, defeat. 

"Put down your guns! Now!" 

Thermite and Fuze's attention was then drawn to a rather aggressive White Mask. He was, as far as they could see, the last one standing. He had no gun. He seemed to have gone mad, the whites in his eyes could be seen clearly and he looked completely out of his mind. Wild. 

A dangerous enemy, but one that was easy to kill. 

Weren't it for the hostage he held in front of him. Weren't it for the detonator he held in his hand, raised up for all to see. 

"I said put your guns down! I'll blow your shit up!" He shouted, spit flying from his mouth. The hostage he held in front of him, in an iron grip, whimpered and shook. 

Thermite and Fuze were too perplexed to act. They stood frozen, staring at the one man that was about to fuck up their mission. But what's more: the one man who held their lives in his idiotic grasp. This man, this insane maniac, had full control over whether they lived or not. It was like they had landed in a nightmare. 

"They have BOMBS! Put your guns down or you all explode!" The terrorist gestured over at the rest of the hostages madly. The civilians looked miserable; beaten up, scared and exhausted. Thermite and Fuze stared at them and they stared back. Hopeless. Sad. Disappointed. They had already decided that they would die. Like several of their colleagues, who lay dead spread around the room, now amongst the terrorist the team had killed. But this one, this last one, had slipped through. They had been so close to a successful mission, but this one guy fucked it up. 

The terrorist was enraged to see Fuze and Thermite still with their weapons. That the two men were in shock, never got to his mind. 

"FINE!" He roared, and pressed the detonator. The team took a step forward, as if that would save them, as if that would make any difference. The detonator was pressed, there was no going back now. If the terrorist let go of it, they would all die. Everybody watched with bated breath. This was the end. 

Then, something unexplainable happened. The man held by the terrorist seemed to come to his wits. "NO!" He shouted as he suddenly spun around, out of the White Mask's grasp, and took hold of the terrorist's hand, which in turn was holding the detonator. 

The terrorist cursed in his own language, and violently attempted to fight the hostage. But the man didn't let go of his hand. 

"Fuze!" Thermite shouted as he aimed his gun at the fighting men, suddenly woken up from his shock. The Uzbek immediately aimed his own as well, but he was trembling. 

"I- I don't have a clear shot!" Fuze shouted. The men were moving all the time, and if Thermite and Fuze were to hit the hostage, the story would end right then and there. Sledge, Tachanka and Sledge also began to pick their guns up and try to get a shot at the terrorist, but the risk was too great. To make matters even worse, the hostages started screaming and shouting hysterically, both encouraging their colleague and out of fear of their own lives. 

It couldn't go on like this much longer. The hostage was weakened and would sooner or later be defeated by the terrorist. The team had to make a choice, they had to shoot, but the consequences could be disastrous. 

Thermite frantically tried to get a good shot. He was appointed squad leader, and he had sworn nobody on his team would die if he could help it. Now that the prospect was that all of them would die if he didn't act quickly, he doubled his efforts. But no matter how he sought for the perfect position, the risk of hitting the hostage was too great. 

Tachanka felt like throwing his gun aside and joining the hostage in his fruitless fight, but his rational thought told him that would be the worst thing to do. The hostage could let go of the detonator, or worse, the terrorist could get a sudden energy boost, throw both of them off and then their lives would be over with quickly. He couldn't help, and he hated it. 

Sledge gazed through his scope for what seemed like an eternity, trying to find the best moment to shoot. It didn't come. It didn't come. In frustration he watched the hostage fight the terrorist, detonator still in their hands, but he couldn't do anything. He stood, watching idly while the hostage fought for his life. It wasn't fair. It was not fair. 

Smoke bit his lip as he followed the terrorist's movement with his gun. No chance, no chance... The sweat ran down his forehead in large beads, and the fact his mask was suffocating him in this situation didn't help either. He then decided this was useless. It was all useless. They were done for. Slowly, Smoke lowered his gun. He gave up trying. This was the end. 

Fuze focused his full concentration on the scene before him, that he watched through his scope. He refused to give up. He refused to admit defeat. He refused to quit. Jäger was somewhere behind him, bleeding. The hostages were frightened and hurt, his teammates were frozen with fear. He had to act. He had to save them all. He had to take the risk. If he didn't, his time with Jäger had been too short. 

That time, where Fuze had learned what true happiness is, was too dear to him. He wanted to experience more of it, wanted to feel how the German hugged him again, wanted to hold him in the dark of the night again. This couldn't end here. His life had become too dear to him. No longer careless and reckless, Fuze wanted to _live_. And that's how he decided to take the shot. 

Time seemed to stand still. The room absolutely quiet. No more sobbing, no more grunting and no more shouting. It was as if they were in a movie; everything moved in slow motion. Fuze could see the bullet leaving the barrel of his gun, noticed from the corner of his eyes how his team mates looked at him in shock. Was he really taking the risk? 

He saw how the hostage stopped fighting; his face as white as a sheet as he noticed one of their rescuers had finally fired his gun. Would he be hit? Or his assailant? The terrorist stopped and looked as well in disbelief, amazed at the guts Fuze had to fire his gun in such a perilous situation. Would he hit him? Or that annoying hostage? Neither of the men had time to step out of the way of the bullet that was soaring towards them. 

The bullet travelled through the air; Fuze followed it with his eyes. He vaguely realised his eyes were dry as he hadn't blinked in so long, but he couldn't afford to blink now. He had to see where his bullet hit. He had to see if he would save the day, or doom them all. 

A gasp, a thud. Everyone held their breath. 

The terrorist fell to the floor, a bullet hole right on his temple. No pain, no cries. He died without knowing. Blood started seeping out of the wound, making the hostage, who had fallen to the floor along with the terrorist in order to keep hold of the detonator, cry. 

Not waiting for his teammates to tell him how stupid he had been, nor for the rest of the hostages to hysterically thank him, Fuze rushed over to the hostage with the detonator. The man tried to speak to him, but all he could utter were some incoherent words. The man seemed to be in panic, only just now realising what he had done, and looked at the detonator with fear. 

"Hold still, sir. Or you'll blow us all up anyway." Fuze said calmly. The man quietened down, so Fuze got tape out of his many pockets and wrapped it carefully around the man's hand and the diffuser tightly so he couldn't let go of it. "Now you can relax." The Uzbek said as he was done. 

"Thank you, sir! The bomb vests- I thought we would... But... But I couldn't let that happen, I needed to provide you with a distraction. But god, I... I thought you would never shoot and leave me to fight him alone." The man eyed the dead terrorist and laughed nervously. "But you had it all under control, right?" 

"Of course sir, you were never in danger." Fuze lied through his teeth. The fact that even the team hadn't be sure of their lives for a moment, testified that the situation had indeed gotten quite out of hand. The man smiled nonetheless and finally seemed to relax fully. 

When Fuze got up and helped the hostage to get up too, he saw his team was already tending to the hostages. They were examined for fatal wounds quickly, and counted. Thirteen had survived, the rest had perished during their assault. A sad number. The Uzbek saw how Smoke helped Jäger up with trembling hands. 

The hostages seemed relieved to be saved and didn't seem to notice the mission had almost been a complete failure. But Fuze could see how tense his team mates still were, how they still couldn’t believe what had just happened. They eyed Fuze with a kind of new-found respect. Yes, even Sledge didn't look down on him anymore, but rather gave him an appreciative nod. Fuze nodded back as he led the hostage out of the room. 

Thermite came to him. "That was risky, soldier." The American talked softly so no one else would hear. Fuze thought he might get scolded at now, might be told by his squad leader that he shouldn't have acted, when Thermite talked again: "But I'm happy you took the risk. I don't think anyone else could have done it, we were all too shaken. Well done on keeping your head together and not being as reckless as usual. Well done, Fuze. And let's just be glad your aim was perfect." 

Fuze gave a sigh of relief as he nodded. Thermite patted his shoulder before he moved over to the hostages that had gathered at the top of the staircase outside the stuffy room. 

Soon a queue was formed, guarded by the team. Fuze briefly checked on Jäger, but only after the German had convinced him he was okay and the bullet hadn't hit any vital points, did Fuze let the matter go. Led by Thermite, the group slowly started their descent down the stairs. Their going was slow as a lot of hostages had been injured by the White Masks, but they all made it down alright, if not very nervous by the fact that the detonator was still primed and all hostages still wore bomb vests. 

They were met by the other team cheerfully, who immediately took over the care of the hostages so that the heroes could sit down. The man with the detonator taped to his hand was immediately helped by a team of explosive specialists that had rushed to the objective. The hostages were then helped out of their bomb vests, finally, and embraced each other with tears streaming down their cheeks. 

The team was exhausted. The mission had been a success, but it had come at a price. They were wounded and weak, and several innocents had been killed that day. The squad leaders as well as Six were happy about the results and tried to cheer the rest up, but that day weighed heavy on them. What they had experienced today, wouldn't be easy to forget. 

Doc was busy tending to the others who had more serious wounds, so Fuze had settled himself down in front of Jäger and bandaged him clumsily but with the greatest care. Blitz watched together with Glaz from a distance, Blitz frowning and Glaz a sympathetic smile on his face as he held his dear sniper rifle in his arms. 

“I’m so unsure about Fuze. Next time he’ll be dressing wounds he caused himself in his recklessness.” Blitz voiced his doubts about Fuze to Glaz. 

Laughing, Glaz shook his head. “I think you’re wrong, Blitz.” 

“I don’t understand where you get your faith in that Uzbek from.” Blitz said as he folded his arms. 

Glaz turned towards the German next to him, smiling gently. “Fuze is a real soldier, Blitz.” He explained, his expression calm. 

“So?” Blitz turned towards the Russian as well, cocking an eyebrow. 

Glaz smiled. “Loyal till he dies.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve always wanted to use that line (‘:
> 
> Sadly, this story has finally come to an end. I have enjoyed writing it, and I hope you have enjoyed reading it. By now I absolutely adore this ship (it has pushed BliBan off the first place for me), and I will definitely continue writing them <3
> 
> I thank you all for your undying, loyal support. Thank you for following me on this Fuze/Jäger journey c: I am thankful for every kudo and appreciate every comment. I am so happy to be part of such an amazing community c:
> 
> As for my future writing plans: I’m finally going to work on the one shots I did have inspiration for in these past weeks. I will not give anything away, but I’m pretty excited about my ideas for them. My next project I have planned will be about the GIGN guys (-Lion probably, sorry). Though I need to tell you the following: in a little more than a month, I will be graduating from uni. After 4 years I’m finally done. I do not know what I’ll be doing after. I will find a job, but I’m not sure what the future has planned for me. For this reason I could get really slow with my updates, or in the worst case, I will not have time for writing anymore at all. If that’s the case, then I want you all to know that I’m extremely grateful to have amused you with my stories. Thank you all!


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